Many of Northwest Arkansas' high school girls golfers have never seen, much less experienced, the course that will host this year's Class 7A state tournament.
They will have to get accustomed to The Greens at North Hills in a hurry. They played a practice round on the Sherwood course Monday before the tournament kicks off today and Wednesday.
Class 7A girls state golf tournament
WHEN 9 a.m. today and Wednesday
WHERE The Greens at North Hills, Sherwood
NOTABLE The course is a par-71 and will play somewhere between 5,156 and 5,436 yards, depending on what combination of red and gold tees are being used. … The first day of the tournament will also serve as the 7A-West Conference tournament. … Rogers High, Bentonville High, Fort Smith Southside, Conway and North Little Rock are considered contenders for the state title.
"I know nothing about it," Rogers High coach Brenda Alexander said Saturday night. "I've never seen it before, and all I know about it is I've been told the greens are fast.
"We've been playing Lost Springs all season, and the greens over there are pretty fast. I think our girls might adjust better because of that, but it's going to be a matter of seeing the course and adjusting to it."
Alexander said some of her girls went Sunday to get an early view of the course, while Bentonville girls coach Lindsey Davis took her entire team down Sunday for an early practice round. The course plays at a par-71, and a mixture of the red and gold tees will be used, meaning the playing distances could be anywhere from 5,156 to 5,436 yards.
It's considered one of the older courses because The Greens at North Hills features narrow fairways and the smaller, faster greens, and there are only two significantly long holes on the course. The first hole is 505 yards, and No. 18 is 488 yards from the gold tees, but the distances drop off from those two.
"From what I understand about the course, our concentration needs to be on our short game -- our chipping and our putting," Davis said. "I've been told the greens are small, so they will have to concentrate on getting up and down. With only two long holes, I have a feeling we will be keeping the drivers in the bag a little bit."
What both coaches know is who will lead their teams in the tournament. Rogers is led by Brooke Matthews, who has verbally committed to play at Arkansas, while Bentonville has been led by senior Kate Robertson, who has verbally committed to Newman University in Wichita, Kan.
The key to which team wins the state title may lie in what their respective teammates will do. Alexander said she thinks it will take two golfers to finish in the 70s in both rounds and have the other player finish in the 80s to have a chance.
"We'll have to have a third golfer step up," Davis said. "Kinslee Miller, Abby Roberts and Chloe Ellis all have played about the same all season. I think they are there mentally, and they plan on playing well both days."
Sports on 09/27/2016