They joined the team for snacks. Now Quabbin's newest girls golfers love the sport

What do you do when you tee off in a golf match and look down and realize you completely missed the ball and only hit the tee?

You laugh it off.

That is exactly what Molly Wilder did, and continues to do, when she makes a little mistake in her first season on the Quabbin girls golf team. Wilder followed suit of friend and fellow freshman Sierra Lambert, who encouraged Wilder and their other friends, Sienna Shaw and Ava Brady, to join the team – despite none of them playing golf before.

The four of them helped to make up the team this season, joining senior and four-year player Kylie Casey, her younger sister freshman Makenzie Casey, who has played since her seventh-grade year, and sophomore Kaylan Cavanagh.

“Me and Ava started because we were promised food after the matches but as time went on, golf seemed super fun and we started to get better and I really enjoy it now,” Wilder joked.

With a young and inexperienced team, one of the main focuses of the season was learning the sport. The team has a record of 4-7-1, falling to some of the powerhouse programs in the area. However, the losses don’t seem to discourage this fun and bubbly group of athletes who have learned the most important aspect of golf – mental toughness.

In a game that still stumps even the top professionals in the world, this crucial skill is the easy part to the Panthers. Something that started as a way to hang out with each other for the four newbies has developed them into golfers, while still keeping the fun aspect.

The Casey sisters, the only two returners, and Cavanagh, who played golf in the past but not on the school team, have bought into the no-pressure attitude of their new teammates and have found a fresh and fun atmosphere brought to the course.

“It's just been really fun each year to watch myself get better and I’m at the point now where I really look forward to going to practice and matches every day and it's fun having a bunch of little freshmen, they are like my other little sisters,” Kylie Casey said. “Girls golf is fun because you become friends with the people you’re playing against and we can just chat the whole time.”

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All of the girls agree that while they were nervous to start golf, they have all seen each other grow and improve in the sport and truly enjoy playing.

Coach Richard Lindsten is proud of his small but mighty crew. There isn’t a large number of girls golf teams in the Central Mass., and Quabbin has maintained a program for two decades, with Lindsten at the helm for 14 years.

With several big opponents, like Div. 1 schools Wachusett and the Westborough/Algonquin co-op, Linsten notices his team staying positive and focusing on improving each match.

“We’re like the underdog but we’re rising to the occasion more and more,” Lindsten said.

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Kylie and Makenzie star as the 1 and 2 on the roster, continuing their sister teammate connection from the fall. On the field hockey team, the duo led Quabbin to a Central Mass. title and appearance in the state tournament. Their experience, in golf and athletics in general, has helped to acclimate their teammates to the environment of Quabbin sports.

With just a few matches left, the group that brings “a barrel of laughs,” according to Lindsten, have a few more chances to prove their progress and simply enjoy being out on the links.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: They joined the team for snacks. Now Quabbin's newest girls golfers love the sport