Special Year Thanks to No Specialization

KALAMAZOO – Scarlett Hindbaugh’s parents tried to get her into golf when she was in early elementary school, but she did not like it at all.

But as she headed into ninth grade at Kalamazoo Christian High School, Hindbaugh decided to play a fall sport.

All of a sudden, golf was looking pretty good.

Now, as a senior, she is one of the top golfers on a team loaded with talent – and a team that also made program history last season with its highest MHSAA Finals finish coming in runner-up to Lansing Catholic in Lower Peninsula Division 4.

With four seniors returning from that team, fifth-year coach Mike Schield will have a tough time filling the final spots in his lineup.

“We’re looking throughout the season who that No. 5 player is going to be,” he said. “What we’ve done differently this year, instead of taking six varsity players (to matches), we’re taking eight.

“We’re pretty confident we know who our starting four are. Out of the B Pod of our varsity players, we’re trying throughout the season to give everybody an opportunity to see who’s going to stick out by the end of the season.”

Besides Hindbaugh, the three other current seniors from that 2023 runner-up team are Jordyn Bonnema, Kennedy Gernaat and Ella Adams – Adams another player who picked up golf for the first time as a freshman.

The Comets kicked off the season at the Lober Classic at Crystal Mountain last week.

“It was a great team-building experience,” Schield said. “It’s a very challenging golf course, and the girls got to learn a lot about their games.

“It was a really good snapshot as far as the golf goes for these girls to understand what they need to do from now until October.”

The Comets finished ninth overall at the prestigious 24-team event, but third among Division 3 and 4 teams.

“I didn’t play my best golf, but it was our first time up there,” Bonnema said. “The course is beautiful; it’s a hard course. I feel like it set the stage to where we need to be. It gave us a starting point, and we’re going to work from there.”

Climbing the ladder

For the last three years, Schield has taken Kalamazoo Christian to the MHSAA Finals as a team, finishing sixth in 2021, fourth in 2022 and second last year.

Bonnema led the Comets last October, placing sixth individually.

“The first year, we were happy to be there. The second year, we had a little higher expectation; last year we got a little bit closer,” said Schield, a PGA pro who has taught at X-Golf Kalamazoo since 2018 and previously worked in elite junior golf development at Mission Hills in southern China.

“Seems like each year we’ve been able to make steps up the ladder. I would say we made those steps up because of the way we built our program.”

Of the eight golfers on varsity, Bonnema is one of the leaders.

“Who in their right mind wouldn’t want to coach a Jordyn Bonnema?” Schield asked. “She’s an elite athlete, multiple sports (basketball, soccer). She brings that extra level of intensity and determination that you expect from an elite athlete.

“The cool thing about Jordyn is that she’s playing these multiple spots, which she should, but it does take time away from her ability to play golf all year round. She is one of the top players in Division 4.”

Bonnema realizes she is one of the team leaders.

“Every day, I try to bring as much energy as I can and be the leader that everyone is looking for and try to set a good example for not only underclassmen but setting the standard that we need to be at every day,” she said.

Schield said that No. 1 spot is shared by Gernaat.

“Kennedy’s sister (Kylie) was a former No. 1 on our team, and I feel that Kennedy has stepped into those shoes,” he said. “She’s a very polished golfer and was the individual Regional champion.

“She’s got one of the best short games, putting strokes that I’ve been able to coach since my time being here.”

As novice golfers three years ago, Hindbaugh and Adams said they both benefited from Schield’s teaching.

“(Coach) was very welcoming, good environment, very open, very relaxed, no-pressure kind of environment,” Adams said.

Schield said Adams has a great attitude that rubs off on her teammates.

“She could have just hit the best shot or the worst shot, but always has a smile, is always looking forward to the next shot, which is a great trait that all coaches want their players to have,” he said. 

As for Hindbaugh, Schield said she has become a more complete golfer since last season. 

“Over the last year, she’s taken a constructive approach to evaluating her game and trying to find the right areas to focus on for her own self-development,” he said.

Another key senior is Kyah Klok.

“The last two years she has been very close to making our varsity team,” Schield said. “This is the year she’s punched through. She packs a punch. She’s got some power.”

The lone junior is Lizzie Yonkers, who played the second day of the Finals last year and has improved over the offseason.

“She is a well-balanced player from tee to green,” he said. “The special thing about Lizzie is she helps all of our players keep things light and fun, which helps balance out the intensity of our team.”

Lilly Locker, the only sophomore, was a “star of the JV team last year,” Schield said. “This is what you could easily consider the future of the girls golf program.

“She has length, understanding of the game and can perform well, iron play, short game and putting. All she needs now is experience in tournament play.”

Although she is just a freshman, Rylee Slater made varsity because “she’s athletically gifted and a quick learner,” Schield said. "She has this season with very little pressure on her to learn and develop herself as a player. She’ll be fun to watch.”

No matter who rounds out the roster, Hindbaugh said the team knows what to expect if they make it back to the Finals.

“We played with East Lansing (last year), and one of the things they could do so well is they could get up to the green and chip in a putt and not screw up around the green,” she said. “That’s what we’re focusing on this year, that short game.”

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One bonus of the Lober Classic trip was a chance to learn about nutrition and prepare food with Schield’s wife, Lindsey Stillian, a nutritionist at Thriving Bite in Kalamazoo.

“Golf is not as obviously an intense sport,” Schield said. “It’s a season where we have to play golf in different weather conditions.

"First and foremost, you have to take care of your health so that you’re available to play.”

Gernaat said she learned a lot from Stillian.

“As athletes, it’s important to keep a balanced diet, and also food is fuel for your body, so it’s important to make sure you’re getting the right food groups and enough of the right food,” Gernaat said.

“It made me feel more energized during the round. Instead of going to get fast food, homemade food was definitely better.”

Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.

PHOTOS (Top) Kalamazoo Christian senior Scarlett Hindbaugh putts during a recent practice, surrounded by teammates (from left) Ella Adams, Lilly Locker, Kennedy Gernaat, Lizzie Yonkers, Kyah Klok, Jordyn Bonnema and Rylee Slater. (Middle) Clockwise from top left: Bonnema, Gernaat, coach Mike Schield and Adams. (Below) Hindbaugh works on her chipping. (Photos by Pam Shebest.)