Kenzie Newton (right) coaches golf team members (l-r) Shandi Rose and Josie Pronk as they hit foam golf balls down the hallway at Stansbury High School Monday. Newton was named the new girls’ golf coach last month.
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Loading...The Stansbury girls golf team gets its season under way this week, and a new coach took the reigns to build the program. Kenzie Newton, the SHS girls basketball coach, became the new girls golf coach on Feb. 1. She hopes to build the program and provide a fun, laid back sport that high school girls will enjoy.
“I just want to get girls interested in golf,” Newton said. “Golf is an individual sport so you can be as good as you want to be. It’s a relaxing sport where you get to go out and enjoy the weather.”
Newton has golfed seriously for the last 10 years, and she’s been around the sport for a long time. She used to work at Stansbury Park Golf Course for her grandfather and received exposure to the sport because of him. She also coached golf as an assistant for Grantsville High School, and at the time the girls played on the boys team. She said having a girls golf team is a great opportunity for girls today, but these early days of coaching the team are all about building the program and showing the girls that they have a team they can go to.
The girls golf program for SHS is still new as just three girls played on the team last year. So far, the team is up to 18 members this year, Newton said. With that number of girls, Newton hopes it will start to generate interest in the long run, leading to more girls wanting to play the sport.
“Golf is the leading sport for girls to get a college scholarship in athletics,” Newton said. “I’m letting them understand what golf is all about.”
Newton said some students avoid playing sports in high school because of a lot of running and other factors, but those worries can be set aside on the golf course. They can come out and enjoy a comfortable atmosphere outside working on their golf game while still breaking a sweat. She said it doesn’t require too much for girls who want a laid back sport.
The team heads to St. George this weekend for a tournament, and Newton said she’s excited for the girls to get a chance to get outside for a change. Just like everyone else, Stansbury’s golf team has been practicing indoors.
“It should be fun,” Newton said. “I’m excited to get started.”
