When junior Tori Hoopingarner gets ready to hit a ball, she clears her mind and focuses on just hitting the ball.

“I usually concentrate and try not to be distracted by anything,” Hoopingarner said. “I try not to overthink and just hit it.”

Hoopingarner, who’s been on the team since her freshman year, started playing golf because of her father, and has continued as a way to stay close to him.

“I’ve always played golf with my dad, so I thought it was a great way to keep in touch with the sport,” Hoopingarner said.

To junior Claire Yackley golf is, more than anything, a game of strategy.

“It really is a sport that makes women feel more equal with their male counterparts,” Yackley said. “It’s really skill and strategy.”

Juggling between Alvamar, Eaglebend and Lawrence Country Club, the girls practice wherever available. Their focuses change as well: on longer days the girls play a couple holes, but Fridays are reserved for chipping and putting.

The team’s ever-changing schedule paid off, Free State’s girls golf team placed first at the Sunflower League.

“We won the Sunflower League and we got first place,” Yackley said. “That was probably the highlight of the season.”

After more than halving in size since last school year, the girls golf team has grown stronger in its bonds.

“I feel like since there’s only six girls on the team, honestly I kind of like it because we’re all really close,” junior Macie Reeb said.

Reeb, who joined the team her sophomore year, is not only happy with their newfound team dynamic, but also with her personal improvement in the sport.

“I think I’ve come a long way since I first started playing golf,” Reeb said. “This year I’ve just improved a lot more. It’s nice to see when you improve and play really [well], it’s really rewarding to see that.”

Although golf can sometimes be thought of as a male dominated sport, Hoopingarner sees playing as a way to inspire other girls.

“It’s also good because you are the only girl there so you can make other girls want to play golf,” Hoopingarner said.