Girls golf preview: 3 athletes to watch

The summer months are dwindling down soon enough the weather will start to shift, meaning golf courses will be closed for the season.

But before they lock their doors for the winter, high school girls from across Michigan will try and make their mark on them first. Golf isn’t the biggest sport for local high schools, with not every school fielding a team. But despite the lack of numbers out on the links, there’s more than enough talent in the area.

Here are three local golfers to keep an eye on this fall.

Carly Lukins

SCHOOL >> Zeeland EastGRADE >> JuniorON THE LINKS >> The junior led the conference in scoring average and earned all-conference honors. The low score for her season was a 36 and she averaged a 40 over nine holes. COACH’S VIEW FROM LAST SEASON>> “Carly is our scoring leader in every category, she is a great example to the other players when it comes to working on her game. She spends a lot of time in the summer taking lessons and playing in tournaments to get ready for the high school season. Carly will always give 100% on the golf course and doesn’t let her teammates down. She had a great season and I look forward to seeing what she can do in her final two years of high school.” — Zeeland East coach Carla Stowie

Rylee Smith

SCHOOL >> Zeeland WestGRADE >> JuniorON THE LINKS >> Smith earned the title of Holland Sentinel Girls Golfer of the Year for the second straight season in 2021. She earned a trip to the state finals where she finished ninth. The highlight of her game is her length off the tee, but she’s worked hard in the offseason on her short game and putting and is primed for another big year. COACH’S VIEW FROM LAST SEASON>> “She hits the ball a pretty good distance off the tee, honestly her overall game [is] strong. But I would say off the tee, that sets her up pretty well for the shots after that.” — Zeeland West coach Tim Minnear

Ainsley VandenBrink

SCHOOL >> Holland ChristianGRADE >> SeniorON THE LINKS >> VandenBrink qualified for the state finals for the second straight season in 2021 and posted a scoring average of 42.7 through nine holes that year. Her low round on the season was 38 and she’s hoping to go even lower in her final high school campaign. COACH’S VIEW FROM LAST SEASON>> “Ainsley is a key asset of our team. She brings great professionalism and hard work to every practice and tournament. She’s very committed to the game of golf. Her coaches and teammates are always proud of what she accomplishes on and off the course. ” — Former Holland Christian coach Brooke Statesma