On the first day of boys golf practice, coach Scott Keltner was already making postseason plans. He scheduled a text to be sent May 19, the day of regionals, to Athletic Director Cara Kimberlin, asking her to book the hotel rooms for state — not just one room, but enough for the whole team.
The boys’ golf team has risen to that challenge so far. After breaking a school record for best team score at its first tournament, the team has shaved off 13 more shots from that record in the tournaments since.
“The goal is, this year, not just to qualify an individual for the state tournament, but we want to qualify the whole team,” Keltner said.
At the team’s most recent varsity tournament in Paola, the Cardinals shot a 326 and fell just two strokes short of the team title. Senior Ty Deterding led the team, draining a long putt for eagle on the last hole to clinch the individual title.
“Having a team that wants to be here and, like, wants to keep getting better and improving has been really fun,” Deterding said. “Just all working together for the same goal to keep getting better and improving has been awesome.”
The season hasn’t been all smooth sailing for the Cardinals. With the nearby Twin Oaks golf course still not open for play, the team has had to get creative with ways to practice.
Some days, they’re on the high school lawn practicing their drives or driving to Smiley’s Golf Complex in Lenexa to chip and putt. Other days, you can find them at Eagle Bend golf course in Lawrence practicing their putting. Once a week, the team can play nine full holes at Burning Tree Golf Course in De Soto.
And sometimes the team has had to get even more creative, like when they went to freshman Lash Kueffer’s house and tried to skip balls across his parents’ pond, a reference to the iconic tradition at the professional Masters golf tournament.
The varied practice schedule has given Keltner a chance to see the leadership of the team’s seniors up close as they help round up play
ers for Friday’s GOYO — golf on your own — practices.
“The positive attitudes are becoming contagious, and there’s strong encouragement that the guys just don’t let off each other,” Keltner said.
Senior Brayden Chappelle said getting to practice in so many different environments can actually be a blessing in disguise.
“Instead of playing the same course over and over again, now we get to go to Burning Tree and play, or we get to go to Eagle Bend and chip, or we have our own driving range here,” Chappelle said.
It’s Keltner’s first year at the helm of the program after multiple seasons as the assistant coach. He said it is rewarding to build close relationships with the players, both in the classroom and on the golf course.
“That’s the big benefit of a small community like Eudora,” he said. “You stick around long enough and you know the kids on a personal level.”
Two of the team’s leaders — Deterding and Jack Crawshaw — live just a block away from Keltner. He’s known them for years and watched them grow up. Before he was helping them with their golf swings, he was helping them fix the brakes on their bikes and work through math problems with sidewalk chalk.
“It’s been awesome to see t
hem grow as individuals for many years,” Keltner said.
Deterding has qualified for state the last three years and has inched closer every year to claiming a state medal. But when he thinks of his biggest goals for the year, cracking the top 10 at state isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.
“The biggest goal is going to state as a team,” Deterding said. “I think that would be really cool to, all six of us, be able to go spend the night at a hotel and get to compete at state. That would be really fun.”
The primary goal is the same for Chappelle.
“It’s really good to have something to look forward to as a team and individual,” Chappelle said. “And just knowing that our team has a good chance to go to state this year is awesome.”
If the team can keep improving and reach that goal, clinching a berth to state, the text to book hotel rooms will already be sent.
“I put that challenge out there on day one of practice,” Keltner said. “I said, ‘Don’t make me cancel that message.’ I kind of left it there, and they have risen to the call and then some.”
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
