THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Saturday, May 17, 2015
A lot of teaching moments happened at the Avondale Golf Club this week at the state 5A tournament for the Post Falls High boys golf team.
From playing in a big-time tournament to dealing with the elements, a lot of positives came out of a fifth-place finish.
POST FALLS came just 12 strokes from bringing home a trophy.
"It wasn't an awful day, but I'd just hoped to do a little better," Post Falls junior Joseph Glenn said after Tuesday's second and final day. "It's going to be a confidence builder for me for sure. With another year under my belt next year, I should be able to fix the mistakes I made."
For second-year coach Maria Kostina, the course layout will be something she'll be keeping an eye on for next year.
"I'll make sure to watch where the pin placements are," Kostina said. "We'd played at Avondale a few times, but they changed them for state. Some of these kids are still learning how to play a proper round and visualize each shot. It was a good experience and the kids got better. They didn't hang their heads and definitely got better throughout the season and state tournament. They didn't play well, but they all got better as the round went on."
Post Falls will graduate two seniors - Ty Brearley and Colton Serdahl - from this year's state team.
"Coming into this week, we had two players (Brearley and Serdahl) that had played in a state tournament before," Kostina said. "The other three (Glenn, junior Drew Harris and sophomore Chase Bomar) hadn't played at state before - or regionals - so it's definitely a big experience for them. Some of them haven't played those caliber of tournaments. If they continue to get better, that's the key to what we've been working on."
"Some of our guys like to think they need to birdie the next hole," said Harris, who shot an 81-89-170. "I try to tell them to worry about the shot they're in and don't overdo yourself and try not to put the ball in the hole on each shot."
RICH DUNN, whose Eagle team claimed a sixth straight state 5A boys title, was complimentary of the course at Avondale.
"It's a tough course," Dunn said. "It has some rewards, but it also has some challenges out there. It's a heck of a good run of good kids for us."
Boys medalist Josh Gliege of Eagle shot a 71-65-136, coming five strokes off tying the course record at Avondale in his second round.
Next year's state tournaments will be held in the Boise area.
Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.