Polson High School golfers eye state
Berl Tiskus
PHS golfer Hayden Congdon, left, and a Whitefish High School golfer check out the way the green lies before they put on hole seven of the Polson Bay Golf Course. Congdon scored an 83 at the tournament.
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Alex Salois practices at the driving range during practice after school.
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High School golfers from Polson, Columbia Falls, Whitefish and Libby wait to tee off at the Polson Invitational on Sept. 4.
Berl Tiskus
Bill Owen, head coach of the Polson High School Golf Team, checks his cart to make sure it’s stocked with water, scorecards and pencils before he heads out to check on young golfers.
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POLSON — Golf is a good walk spoiled, according to American author and humorist Mark Twain. Although not everybody attributes the quote to Twain, the Polson High School golf team doesn’t see golf that way. They enjoy playing and being outside.
One student athlete, Hayden Congdon, even started playing when he was 3.
With 17 students out for golf, coach Bill Owen and assistant coach Cindy Templer run practice each afternoon after school at 4 p.m.
Their season began on Aug. 13 and will end with a state tournament in Anaconda on Sept. 28-29.
“This is my 18th season,” Owen said.
Dennis Jones, former vice-principal at PHS, talked Owen into coaching golf. Jones noticed that Owen was fascinated with the game.
Even though his first sports love was always wrestling, Owen gave coaching golf a shot and said he enjoys it. It was an adjustment, since he had never coached girls before.
“The thing about golf is it requires such focus,” Owen explained.
He said he’s never seen anybody start playing golf and pick it up right away. Emotional control is also an element a player has to master to be good at golf. Golf is good for athletes with a big ego, Owen said, because they have to work at it.
“The biggest tool is the brain,” Owen said, tapping his red head.
He tries to think in a positive vein and encourage the students to think positively, too. As well as one-on-one coaching and groups working on putting, driving and chipping, Owen and Templer also pull in technology.
Owen uses an iPad application called SwingReader to video students and analyze their swings.
On the driving range or the putting green, Owen said he’ll only give a young golfer one or two thoughts or corrections and then send them out on the golf course to practice. Any more than that, and it’s frustrating for a kid.
He also tells players to not think about the mechanics when they walk onto the course.
“Go with what your muscle memory tells you,” Owen said.
It works, because when PHS hosted an invitational tournament on Sept.4, junior Jaylin Kenney topped the leaderboard for the girls with an 83. Lauren Dupuis had a personal best at 93. The girls’ team finished first with 361, followed by Whitefish at 394.
The boys’ team finished second with 362, with Whitefish at 322. Dalton Noyes scored a 90, his lowest of the season.
Owen said the team has seen all their competition except Frenchtown, who’s tough. He’s seen signs the PHS golfers are all improving.
Senior Congdon tied for second with 83 even though he went out of bounds four times. Owen said he held it together emotionally and that stands a player in good stead at a two-day tournament.
Congdon also plays tennis and basketball, but golf is probably his favorite sport. He wants to golf in college.
Owen and Templer’s other senior is Anna DiGiallonardo. DiGiallonardo began golfing at 10 when her dad taught her to play. She golfs two times a week in the summer during the morning, so its cooler, and tries to drag other team members to the links with her.
“I like going out and playing with the team,” she said.
A multi-sport athlete, she chose track as her favorite sport but said she likes golf and appreciates her coach.
“Coach Owen is really good. He came in early to practice with me since I had to leave early,” she explained.
With an older sister playing golf in college, DiGiallonardo said she’s thinking of attending Montana State University and would like to have golf pay for college.
She and Kenney tied for ninth at state tournament last year, and the PHS girls team won the state championship. This year, the state competition will be on the Anaconda golf course.
It’s a tough course, DiGiallonardo said, with lots of tall grass in the rough and some water.
“I hope we can have another state championship for the girls,” she added. “That’s kind of been the goal this year.”
