Beech Tree News Network

The Butler County Boys Golf Program has been working diligently over the dog days of summer despite many adversities. Greg Moore is in his second season as coach and is trying to make strides in building a program.
“The KHSAA has implemented new guidelines on playing high school sports based on grade-level,” Coach Moore explained. “If they were on roster last year as a fourth grader or above, the athlete would be grandfathered in and eligible to play,” Moore continued.
If they student-athlete is new to the sport, they must be in eighth grade to be able to participate in a varsity, JV, or freshman event. The golf program has six new members that cannot play in high school matches; so, Moore is working to find middle school matches… unfortunately with limited success.
“Many programs were successful in getting their young golfers grandfathered in and must have those to play at the JV and varsity levels or they would not have a team,” Moore attributed.
The team has a new seventh grader, a fifth grader, two fourth graders, and a second grader. “I am thrilled to be working with these new additions, they are improving tremendously,” Moore exclaimed.
Coming back as seniors, the varsity team has Hunter Cardwell, Houston Jones, and Remmington Harpe. All three of these young men have been dedicated to the golf program the whole time during their high school years.
“All of them are capable of shooting under 80 in tournament play with the right conditions,” Moore alleged.
All three have been pacing the team in match play, which have all been at away courses, but the boys are still 3-5 with one tie.
During their most recent match at Ohio County, with the heat index bordering too high for KHSAA guidelines, the boys fired their best score of the young season, a 166.
Cardwell put it all together and paced the team with a 36. Harpe came in with a 42 and Jones would have been right there had he not faced some tough luck; however, he still carded a 45.
“I was ecstatic to see Hunter play to his full potential. This is not an easy game to begin with, but when you account for the heat, walking the course, and pressure from all the spectators that come out to watch the matches, it gets turned up a dial or two,” Moore boasted.
The fourth score used in the match was by another newcomer to the program, freshman Cole Johnson, who fired a 43 in his first match ever.
“I am extremely fortunate to have Cole and his brother, Clay, on the team; they have a huge ceiling in this sport,” Moore stated. “They both have strong cores and are athletic with great hand-eye coordination,” he continued.
Two more young men contributing to the scoring this season are Easton Jones and Zach West. Easton, who is a freshman, has been playing for several years.  Zach is in his second season and is an eighth grader.
“Both these boys consistently shoot in the 40’s and will continue to improve as they mature and grow,” Moore elaborated. “This freshman class will be comparable to the seniors if they stay with the sport,” Moore persisted.
Rounding out the freshmen is Justin Hudnall, who has been working hard in practice and will see some match play in the future.
Another new member to the program is junior Jacob Skipworth. “Skippy is working on fundamentals and is a delight to work with. I hope to get him into some matches, also,” Moore stated.
Senior Ryan Cardwell is another newcomer who got a taste of match play in Ohio County. “He seemed to have fun and we are glad to have him on the team,” said Moore.
Hunter Adcock, Colten Glass, Andrew Gill, Jonah Swift, Drew Hatcher, and Christian Daniel are working hard at practice. Adcock, a seventh grader, will be high school eligible next year.
“Hunter is playing every chance he gets; I am blessed to have his smile and humor on the course with us,” Moore proudly proclaimed.
“Andrew was with us last year as a third grader and will have some sick game for many years to come. He played on the Go Tour this spring and summer and it is evident,” complimented Moore.
Colten, Jonah, Drew, and Christian are getting an opportunity to be part of the program this year and will play in middle school matches, which Moore hopes will develop as a trend in surrounding counties.
After the varsity plays at Breckinridge on Monday, they will host Hancock on Tuesday.  Apollo and Dawson Springs will come to Morgantown on Thursday, as well.