Too Few Par-take in Women’s Golf

The WBHS Women’s golf team very few players in one of the biggest golf communities in the state.

Oct 15, 2023

Arylyn Smith-Parks takes a big swing in a tough conference game.

The women’s golf team has the minimum number of players on their team (four), despite being in one of the biggest golf communities in coastal NC.

Why it’s important: Brunswick County and its surrounding areas are notorious for their golf community and mass amount of money and resources thrown into it. There are tons of ways the youth can get involved whether it is for a competition or just entertainment.

Student participation is important for the school team, for if even one person doesn’t show up, the entire team gets penalized.

“Say if three of my girls show up, and I don’t have a fourth player, they will get the max score for the round,” said men and womens golf coach Nick Dipasquale. “So for 18 holes, it’s triple bogey [three strokes above the par rating of a particular hole], so they would triple bogey each hole so that would give us the max score for the fourth player that’s not there. It kinda hurts not having that fourth player.”

According to ncbrunswick.com, there are 30+ golf courses in Brunswick County, not to mention a lot of the local entertainment is golf related; the surrounding areas are littered with mini golf courses as well as the very popular Topgolf.

The First Tee is a local golf program designed to teach kids golf at a young age in a safe and fun environment. Two of our players, Miranda Quinn-Schopf and Eve Feldman, were a part of this program. Here, kids can start as early as seven years old. On top of that, there are many nearby events the youth can participate in.

“There’s a lot of amateur tournaments they can participate in here in NC and SC,” said Dipasquale. “We really encourage all players, all golfers to continue to play during the off season. Whether that’s going to the driving range, going on the putting green, or playing just nine holes just to get out there and play. “

Of the four players on the team, two are new to the sport. With this in mind, beating even one team is a big accomplishment. They are all learning and improving both on and off the golf course.

Golf isn’t just a set of physical skills, but mental skills as well.

“It’s been a pleasure working with both teams and seeing them grow over the years and seeing how they can adapt to different situations on the golf course,” said Dipasquale. “Golf is a very mental game. At the end of the day, it’s you vs. yourself. So it takes a strong mentally well rounded person to play and these kids handle it really well.”

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About the Contributor

Noah Farris, Staff Writer

Noah Farris was born in Chapel Hill, NC, but grew up in Brunswick County. Farris is a 17-year-old senior student-athlete while also managing to take college courses and work. Farris earned 40+ college credits during his time here at West, but English has been his favorite class. “College courses really got me into English as well as the positive influences I've had as teachers,” said Farris. Farris is on track to begin college as a junior after he graduates high school this school year--this means he should be able to graduate at just 20 years old with a degree in English. As of now, Farris wants to be an English teacher once he graduates college to help teach the things he enjoys about English and help them find their own voices. “I love to see all the positive impacts I can make in the lives of people around me,” said Farris. “I want to make a career out of it.” Farris has always liked writing and that is what drove him to join journalism, but after seeing how much of a community journalism can be, he decided to stick with it. Farris is now a copy editor on the West Wind board. “Journalism has taught me that there are so many interesting stories and people who don’t get the attention they deserve,” said Farris. Outside of school, Farris likes to read, write, and play video games with his favorite book being “All The Bright Places.” Farris has a busy schedule balancing school, work, and sports but says he always tries to make time to spend with his friends. “As a senior, I can definitely say that not everything you do is going to be fun and you may not even like it, but you have to find something you like in everything,” said Farris.