The grass on the course of Oak Marr Golf Center is damp, as white shoes rake through the blades. Heavy bags are carried over shoulders and hats are placed onto sweaty heads. Shiny silver clubs cut through the air, sending small white golf balls into the air. Members of the Madison Girls Golf team are heading towards the putting green of their ninth hole, after accomplishing a successful round of golf.

Girls Golf is a team at Madison High School, where girls can come to play golf in a fun, laidback environment. This year, the team acquired a new coach for the program, Beth Grim. Grim is a member of the and mother to current and former Madison students. Grim volunteered to take on this role, which she found to be difficult with the very little golf experience she had. For many female students, this team has provided an opportunity to try a new sport and meet new people in the process. By volunteering for this position, Grim has allowed for the program to continue to grow. Grim decided to volunteer to be the new coach of the team last spring after finding out that the old coach was stepping down.

“I mostly decided because they needed a coach,” Grim said. “Also because I think it’s such a great program and such a great opportunity for the girls to get to learn how to play golf.”

Many girls have found this experience to be very positive, as it’s a chance to add an activity to their list of skills and meet students from other grades. The team has become a place for people to find a sense of community outside of school, and students who are looking for a competitive environment have the chance to play in after school matches. For those who gravitate towards a more relaxed setting, the team has after school practices at the Oak Marr Golf Center driving range, where players are encouraged to collaborate and help one another.

“My favorite part of the golf team is hanging out with my friends,” Audrey Wang (’26) said. “I like how laidback it is, because everything is optional. I don’t feel pressured to do things I don’t like.”

The main goals of the 2023 season were to focus on advancing basic skills. The team is primarily a means to learn the ropes of golf, but some players enter the team with more experience than others. Because of this, the whole team works closely on either crafting a swing or perfecting the swing of those who do have that previous experience. Additionally, the team has on-course practices where the players go in small groups to play nine holes at the Oak Marr golf course. This helps players who are more advanced to practice their skills in real time, and figure out their strengths and weaknesses.

“I’ve been working really hard to practice my basics,” Maya Gupta (’26) said. “My swing has been really off recently, and during practice I’ve been working on making it more fluid.”

The Girls Golf program at Madison has been an opportunity for female students to connect with others in an informal and relaxed setting, while simultaneously learning the basics of a new sport. This team has something for everyone, making it a very customizable experience for players’ personal desires. The new coach, who decided to volunteer as an instructor, has made this positive experience possible for new Madison students to come.

“Men do business on the golf course often,” Grim said. “Women have been pushed out of it for many years. I love that now all these women are coming in and they can hold their own on the golf course with everyone else.”