High school golf notebook: Post Falls boys develop winning attitude

The Post Falls golf team has a motto: No excuses.

Ball comes to rest in a fairway divot: Deal with it. Raining sideways: Make the best of it.

Senior Joseph Glenn and his teammates have bought into that philosophy with impressive results. Glenn was medalist Monday at the 5A Region I tournament with a 4-under 69 at the Links. The Trojans won the team title by 24 strokes.

It hasn’t been an easy journey for Glenn, who admits he was a “head case” as a sophomore when Maria Kostina came aboard as head coach.

“If I started with a couple bogeys I wasn’t able to rebound,” Glenn said. “She totally just took my ability and formed it into the golfer I am and I’m able to stay with it for 18 holes.”

Glenn’s senior season endured a rough start. He was battling the yips, an affliction that can turn the best putters into a mess on the greens.

Glenn tried everything during tournaments: putting with one hand, eyes shut, eyes focused on the hole. Kostina consulted with instructors and sports psychologists. One suggested a radical change.

“A couple of weeks ago we were like let’s try putting left-handed,” Glenn said. “I’ve done it since (a tournament at the Coeur d’Alene) Resort and I have two wins so far. It’s an adjustment switching from the other side of the ball. It takes time but it’s way better.”

Kostina couldn’t be prouder of Glenn.

“He’s gone through the hardest thing I’ve seen,” she said. “The main thing is his stroke looks good.”

The Trojans are a confident bunch heading to the state tournament Monday and Tuesday at BanBury Golf Course in Eagle. Post Falls finished fifth a year ago, just missing a trophy.

“This is the best team I’ve been on,” Glenn said. “We had team dinners, team Ping Pong tournaments. We focused on becoming a team and wanting everybody to do their best because that’s what makes a team.”

Regional champ Post Falls and runner-up Lewiston will chase trophies at the 5A girls tournament, also at BanBury.

“The girls won three tournaments this year. We’d never won a single tournament in the three years I’ve been here,” Kostina said. “The main thing for us is to get experience because it’s new ground.”

CV makes history

The Greater Spokane League boys’ title wasn’t in doubt after Central Valley won the first four league tournaments. The Bears finished third at Wednesday’s GSL tourney but easily captured the overall title, the first in program history.

“That has to be a pretty good feeling,” coach Steve Rasmussen said. “But what’s been most fun for me is a group of guys coming together and forgetting about the individual thing and trying to do this.”

Mt. Spokane won the last GSL match and placed second overall.

Mt. Spokane captured its third girls’ title in four years. The Wildcats finished with 46.5 points, followed by Lewis and Clark (44) and Gonzaga Prep (42).

State berths will be on the line at the District 8 tournaments, which begin Monday at Qualchan and conclude Wednesday at Wandermere. There are eight state berths for 4A girls and eight for the boys; five for 3A girls and five for the boys.

All five 3A boys’ state qualifiers return from last season.

“It’s going to be a battle,” Mt. Spokane coach Greg Schultz said.