The level of experience on the Clay-Battelle golf team is vastly different, not just with the two golfers but with the coach as well.
Head coach Marcy Rinehart enters her 18th year of mentoring the Cee-Bee golf team. That level of experience is older than both of the golfers she will coach this season.
“Obviously, we can only compete as individuals,” Rinehart said. “I think both of them have the ability to be competitive and both of them have pretty good potential.”
Colby Barr, a junior, is the lone male golfer for Clay-Battelle this season. He is playing his third season for the Cee-Bees and has been playing golf “since he was big enough to play.”
Meanwhile, Kenly Statler — also a junior — is the lone female golfer for the Cee-Bees. Her family plays a lot of golf, but Statler is in just her second year of playing the sport and playing competitively in high school.
“Kenly has done some putt-putt golf and she’s gone to Top Golf and does stuff like that,” Rinehart said. “She has some really good natural ability and comes from a family of golfers.”
Rinehart said she has expectations that both of her golfers will continue to improve this year. Rinehart said that Barr has potential to score really low, but he must work on his chipping and approach shots.
The head coach also said that Statler continues to improve but she could use work on her driving and putting.
With no home course this season — last year the Cee-Bees used Mountaineer Golf Course as their home base — the small team has been focused on using a driving range along with chipping at various venues.
“We have several matches with University High School this year,” Rinehart said.
Barr, who began playing at an early age with his father, said he enjoys the challenge that golf offers. Even though the Cee-Bees can’t compete as a team, they can compete against the course and against themselves.
“Colby has pretty much got his game,” Rinehart said.
Barr started the season with a 56 at Mountainview Golf Course in the first match of the year, but he has gone as low as 38 on the front-nine at Mountaineer.
“My goal is to mainly get better to lower my scores,” Barr said. “Hopefully, I can do well at regionals and OVACs.”
By ERIC HERTER
TWEET @DomPostSports
