ABOVE: Front Row left to right: Joslyn Meyer, Carly Gustafsson, Annaliese Rahm, Leslie Zarling, Katherine Zelaya. Back Row left to right: Ingrid Edman, Olive Kawecki, Kailyn Miller, Hayden Olson, Sophia Schmidt.

FAIRMONT — The Fairmont Cardinals golf teams are set up for another solid golf season. With a roster full of experienced varsity leadership and an influx of new players, the program is poised to continue contributing to the growth and love of the sport.

“We’re just working on focusing on our younger kids, getting them into it,” said Fairmont girls golf head coach Dylan Post. “You know, we started the golf association this year … we sat down and we’re like, ‘When I was in high school, you had to fight to get on varsity, you had to qualify, you had to do all the stuff.’ We had tons of kids in golf. Now we have 10 kids, 10 girls this year.”

Post said the ultimate goal is to build golf back up in Fairmont and get more girls on the team.

As coach Post and Fairmont boys head coach Bill Brooks continue to sharpen the varsity squad’s skillset, they are also focused on making sure those new to the team fall in love with the sport the way they have.

“We’re focused on a varsity team and our older kids,” said Post. “But the fact that we have these young kids signing up, we really need to just hammer down on them and just get them enjoying the game and keeping them in the game of golf.”

Adapting to such a large squad of players can be tricky for the largest coaching staff, so the varsity veterans have stepped up big time for the team.

“Leslie [Zarling], our junior this year, I’ve been coaching her since her first year playing,” Post said. “I think seventh or eighth grade and just watching her become better and better and watching these older girls, where her first round, her first meet that she ever played that I coached her was her first time playing 18 holes ever and it completely shocked me. And now she’s at the point where she’s basically one of the top people on our team and she’s helping these younger kids and doing this, just keeping that keeping that attitude of like, ‘I’m here to play my best, but I’m also here to help others.'”

Building the program’s longevity is key to the Fairmont Cardinals golf team’s longevity and future success, but it’s approaching the game with the right mindset that matters most.

“You’re playing the golf course, you’re not really playing your opponent,” said boys head coach Bill Brooks. “You know, it’s stroke play not match play, and if they shoot better than you, it’s just that they manage their way around the golf course better than you did. They played smarter. You know this way. I always looked at them and told them that if you play the game mentally tough, you’re gonna shoot better scores.”

The Cardinals take on Granada-Huntley East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther at 4:30 p.m. at Rose Lake Golf Course.