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After a shaky start in the fall, Dragon Golf knew it had to bring new energy into the 2021 spring season to find success. With longtime head coaches Matt Glenn and Paige Martin at the helm, and strong student leadership coming from captains Mitchell Greenberg and Emma Costa, the boys and girls teams got serious in January to elevate their practices, focus on their individual skills and enhance their mental game, all with aspirations to return to state.
While both teams made long strides to ensure a better back half of their season, only the girls qualified for state, which will be held at Legacy Hills Golf Club in Georgetown from May 10 to 11. Now aspiring to clinch the 6A title like Carroll Golf did back in 2015, the girls are ready to put in the work to make the whole program proud.
FINDING THEIR GROOVE
While both Carroll teams started out their season trying to connect with varsity newcomers, many of this year’s top golfers grew up on the green. Four-year varsity member, and the girls’ sole senior, Emma says she looked up to the Dragon Golf program while growing up, and she aspired to make the team in high school.
“I saw Dragon Golf’s successes over the years,” Emma says. “It really inspired me to work harder.”
While Mitchell spent his first two years on JV, it didn’t take him long to see the recipe behind Carroll’s achievements.
“Our coaches are really hands on,” Mitchell says. “A lot of JV teams in the area don’t get a lot of hands-on swing work, but they really helped develop my swing over those first two years.”
With only two girls returning to varsity (Emma and three-time varsity member and key contributor MaKayla Tyrell), Carroll benefited from its former JV members’ established skills. But its rewards were not seen immediately. The girls finished the district preview in sixth place, which left the team with plenty of room to grow.
“The fall season’s hard because district, regionals and state are pretty far away,” Emma explains. “Just naturally, everyone’s a little less focused.”
To help with the mental game, the coaches introduced a new concept into its practice regimen: fact book. These series of worksheets gave players space to answer different questions, allowing them to dig deeper about their motivations and reasons for wanting success.
“We lost so much team chemistry from not being able to be together for so long from last year’s shutdown,” Mitchell says. “They wanted to implement something that could teach all of us great golf lessons and life lessons and also help understand each others’ goals so we could be accountable for each other.”
Fact book encouraged players to be vulnerable, which helped the athletes drop their walls and grow more comfortable with each other.
“Becoming closer as a team was a big thing for us. The closer we were, the better we thought we could be,” MaKayla says. “It helps us play better because we are playing for each other.”
Emma says she also hosted team get-togethers outside of practice, ensuring each member felt valued.
“One of my main goals as captain is to include everyone and make sure all the new people are close,” Emma says.
Freshman Chiara Brambilla says that helped her relax and focus on playing at her best.
“Golf is really mental,” Chiara says. “If we all get in that mindset and play for fun and because we love the sport, we play better.”
When the team came back from Christmas break, the coaches knew that they needed to push their athletes further. They sat down both teams and told them it was time to kick it into high gear if they wanted a chance to make it to state.
After that talk, both teams knew it was time to be more intentional about their practices and spring tournaments. Because if they performed better along the way, it would only help them reach their end goal. The little changes, like Chiara saying she thought about each shot’s intention, made a big difference.
That thoughtfulness and team spirit ensured both the boys and the girls impressed at the 4-6A District Championship, with the girls A team taking home the title. The Lady Dragons took the lead with steady pars and quite a few birdies over the 18 holes, which helped them surpass second-place finisher Byron Nelson. First team All-District member MaKayla led the girls and finished the tournament at 147, three strokes over par.
The boys, on the other hand, finished district with its A team in second place and its B team in third, leaving just the first team to move into regionals on April 21 and 22. But Mitchell along with his teammates Jack Beauchamp, Jeremy Law, Gabe Post, Palmer Valdez and Braxton Neiman knew they had to make the most of their run.
REGIONAL READY
After months of practice, the girls faced their hardest test yet at Grand Prairie’s Tangle Ridge Golf Club in midApril. Even though several of the younger players came in with nerves, Paige knew the Lady Dragons were ready to take on the day’s competitors.
“They were excited and focused,” Paige says. “It was fun watching them prep and come together even more as a group.”
The girls shot their best round ever (304) on April 19, which earned them a third-place finish after the first day. Even though the first three teams earn a spot at state, Emma says she didn’t feel settled in the standings.
“The team that was in fourth was maybe four or six strokes behind us,” Emma says. “We weren’t sure if that team was going to jump ahead of us. It was so close, so we were focused on getting in another solid round during the second day.”
Despite that weight, the girls had to trust each other and focus on the shots in front of them. Shooting 310 on day two, the Lady Dragons moved up to a second-place finish, ensuring they would continue onto state.
MaKayla Tyrrell finished first for the Dragons, coming in seventh overall with a total score of 150. She was followed by Chiara Brambilla, who came in 13th; Morgan Becker and Ashley Kim, who tied at 14th; Alisha Choudry, who tied at 20th; and Emma Costa, who tied at 28th.
“We went in with no expectations, and everyone did the best they could,” MaKayla says. “We played better than we expected, and now I think we have a really good chance of placing at state.”
The boys, however, were not as successful when their turn came on April 21. After a delayed start due to unexpected frost, the boys finished the first day in eighth place, shooting 314. Paige says the boys came in too confident because they had been practicing well and knew that course. So they needed to shift their mindset before the second round.
Even though they were down and their state dreams seemed out of reach, the boys attacked the course on day two, shooting 286 — 2-under and their season best. While they climbed three spots, it wasn’t enough and the boys ended their season with a fifth-place regional finish, with an overall team score of 600.
“The boys showed a lot of heart to come back and compete,” Paige says.
Braxton Neiman led the Dragons with a 146 overall score, but he was closely followed by Jeremy Lew, who finished the tournament at 151 overall; Gabe Post and Jack Beauchamp, who both finished at 152 overall; and Palmer Valdez, who finished at 163 overall.
STATE BOUND
Now with just the girls heading to state, Emma says that they are playing for not only themselves but also the boys.
“They really showed up that second day even though they knew they probably couldn’t make it,” Emma says. “They gave a good fight, and I really want to focus on having a good showing for them.”
While the girls were quite familiar with the Tangle Ridge Golf Club setup, the state tournament will take place on less familiar grounds. Both Emma and MaKayla have played the course, but other varsity girls will see its layout for the first time in person on May 10. Thankfully, all of the athletes benefit from their leaders’ experience.
“It’s going to be a little interesting,” Emma says. “Usually during the year, we would travel down and play the course earlier in the season, but because of COVID, we weren’t able to. We have made maps of the course for the other girls, so that we all know what shot we need to hit on every hole.”
But something that’s less easy to emulate is the environment, which Emma says is unlike any other tournament experience.
“The feeling of being at state is way different,” Emma says. “There’s a much bigger crowd there. So I just keep telling them they need to focus on what’s in front of them. They need to tune out the outside noise, all the crowds they may hear cheering on another hole, and focus on their own game.”
The Lady Dragons have their sights on familiar foes. In 2019, the girls finished third overall at state. Austin Westlake hopes to bring home its third consecutive title. But the girls are not allowing that to cloud their prep.
“We have to stick to what we know, have to stick to our game,” Chiara says.
While they are each focusing on different aspects of their game, with Emma working on her swing and contact with the ball and Chiara focusing on her short game, Paige knows they have already proven themselves this season.
“They have come a long way,” Paige says. “After the fall, we saw things shift, and they really started putting this goal first. And the hard work has paid off.”
While the future of the program is bright with a majority of its varsity members returning, the Lady Dragons want to end the year on a high note for their captain.
“We really want to do good so that we can leave it all out there for Emma,” Chiara says.
Paige knows this year’s accomplishments will aid the overall program’s growth.
“We had strong leaders this year, and we are excited to see how the returners take on those roles and look to change the final outcome next year,” Paige says.