Girls Golf Heads into Districts After Fifth-Place Conference Finish

By Marisa Dawson

Close-up of golf bags on pull carts on a green golf course, with a person partially visible in the background.

The Bennington girls golf team is heading into postseason competition with momentum after a fifth-place finish at the conference tournament Tuesday at Lochland Country Club in Hastings.

The Badgers had two medalists at conference, led by Makaila Behrens, who carded an 81 to finish fifth individually. Cloie Clark also earned a medal, finishing 15th with a 90. Both are pictured below.

Two female athletes holding medals, standing on a grassy area with a clubhouse in the background. — *Photo courtesy of Ben Deines*

Behrens’ 81 tied the school record for the lowest individual score at the conference tournament, a mark the senior reached after making significant improvements in an important part of her game.

“We put extra emphasis on the three tournaments at the end of the year: conference, districts, and state,” head coach Ben Deines said. “Earlier in the season, Makaila was really struggling around the green, and around the green is where you score in golf. At conference, she was amazing around the green. Her putting and feel for the greens were the best I have seen from her.”

The team also benefited from a stronger mental approach throughout the conference tournament. Deines said the girls remained positive and avoided allowing an individual mistake to affect the remainder of their rounds.

“As a team, we were just in a better headspace before and during the tournament,” Deines said. “We stayed positive and didn’t let one swing or one hole get us down or affect the rest of the round.”

A group of five female golfers standing together outdoors, smiling and posing for a photo. One player is holding a medal, and they are dressed in golf attire including skirts and caps. — *Photo courtesy of Ben Deines*

A group of female golfers standing in a row on green grass, proudly displaying medals or awards. They are dressed in various golf attire and hats, with a building in the background. — *Photo courtesy of Ben Deines*

The Badgers still had some difficult holes, with each golfer recording a triple or quadruple bogey at some point during the tournament. Limiting those big numbers will be an emphasis heading into districts.

“If you want to play well, you need to avoid those big numbers,” Deines said. “We need to turn our bad holes into double bogeys and try to make as many pars and bogeys as possible.”

The conference tournament followed a challenging regular-season meet at Indian Creek Golf Course in Elkhorn last week. Although the Badgers did not play their best round, Deines said competing on difficult courses throughout the season is intentional and designed to prepare the team for the postseason.

A female golfer in a white skirt and blue top is swinging her club on a golf course, while another female golfer in a blue top and white skirt watches with a golf bag nearby.

“I think playing tough courses during the season helps prepare our mentality for the courses we play at the end of the season,” Deines said. “I don’t want the toughest course we play all year to be districts or state.”

Instead, Deines wants the girls to arrive at postseason courses with confidence, knowing they have already faced difficult conditions during the regular season.

“I want them going into those tournaments at the end of the year thinking, ‘This is not that bad,’” he said. “If you go to a course that you know is easier than what you’ve been playing, it puts you in a good frame of mind for the day.”

A golfer in a blue sweatshirt and black pants swings a club on a grassy golf course, surrounded by trees and tall grass.

The team’s scheduled home meet at Benson Golf Course was canceled again because of weather, but the Badgers now turn their attention to districts, which are scheduled for Monday at Miracle Hills Golf Course in Omaha. Millard North will host the district tournament.

With the district course relatively close to home, the team will have opportunities to become familiar with the layout before tournament day.

“With districts being so close to home, the girls are going to get to play the course a couple more times before Monday,” Deines said. “I want them to get comfortable with the course and make a game plan as a team for how we are going to attack it.”

A woman pulling a golf pushcart with clubs and gear on a grassy golf course.

For the Badgers, the objective at districts is clear: finish among the top three teams and earn a trip to the state tournament.

“Our goal at districts is to finish in the top three and qualify as a team for the state tournament,” Deines said. “We want to survive and advance to the state tournament.”

A golfer in a blue shirt and black shorts swinging a driver on a grassy course, surrounded by trees and a natural landscape.

To accomplish that, Deines said the team will need to maintain the positive mindset it showed at conference, limit costly mistakes and continue to focus on the areas around the green.

“We just need to get in the right frame of mind for districts, limit our bad holes, and score well in and around the green,” Deines said.

A female golfer in a blue shirt and black skirt is taking a swing with a golf club on a grassy course.