Cottage Grove Girls Golf
Melissa Johnson sends in a putt.
McKenzie Herzog watches her ball roll onto the green.
Chatting with the Cottage Grove Team:
Team Rundown:
It wasn’t the ideal start to the
season.
While teams all across the area
dealt in their own way with the
snow, it impacted the golf team
particularly hard. For four of the
team’s six golfers, it is their first
time playing the sport and with
the snow shutting down area
courses, it meant the newcomers
had one day at a driving range,
one day at Middlefield Golf Club
and then it was time for their first
tournament.
“First time four of them had
ever been on a golf course,” said
second year head coach Jennif-
er Husk. “It was freezing, it was
rainy, it was cold. They didn’t
complain once. They’re an awe-
some bunch, I really enjoyed that.
And they had fun, they liked it.
I enjoyed seeing them out there
9
enjoying that. If they can handle
that, they can handle anything.”
While last year’s team finished
with just one golfer on the team,
the six girls out this year is a
warm welcome for Husk. Re-
turning from last season is junior
Melissa Johnson while the other
familiar face is senior McKenzie
Herzog who is back after taking
off her junior year to focus on AP
classes. For the rest of the new
golfers, Husk is working to get
them up to par.
“The first goal is every time
you take a swing, you’re hitting
a golf ball and you’re not missing
it. And you feel confident that
every time you step over it, you
can hit it and you know what to
do,” said Husk. “Just so they get
familiar with the game and they
love it.”
Play with class
Win with class
Lose with class
Youth, community, conservation
Why did you decided to come out for
golf this season?
Bethany Struthers: My family has
always really liked golf. We haven’t
really came out to the golf course
and watched it but we always like
watching golf movies and we really
enjoy watching it. And so me and
(my sister) Moira decided we would
play it this year.
How is it being back on the course
now with a team?
Melissa Johnson: It feels great.
It’s so much fun, especially with the
right coach, it makes it enjoyable.
And the right people on the team.
And with a good attitude you can
have anything happen.
What are you looking to improve in
your second year of high school golf?
MJ: I definitely want to get better
at my driver. Even though I’m good
at it, I want to get perfection at it.
Everything else, I just want to be bet-
ter.
So you’re back after a year away.
McKenzie Herzog: I took a year
off last year to do AP classes because
I had a big work load. Just come out
and do it again because I took off
all that work load. Last year I put it
down, I was getting frustrated. I was
like I’m done. This year I’ve got to
have fun and just get out here and do
it. I missed it.
How is it being back?
A little bit easier and it is great with
coach who is so much fun to work
with. So I’ve gotten so much better.
What are you trying to accomplish
this year?
Try to do the best I can. Just go out
there, hit the ball. See where it goes.