Reeths-Puffer’s Paige Anderson is in a unique situation this season, playing two very different roles on the golf course.
She’s one of the top high school golfers in West Michigan - and perhaps the entire state - and has lofty individual goals that seem within reach.
She’s also a member of an R-P golf team that’s mostly comprised of less experienced players who are still developing their skills.
Anderson takes both roles seriously.
All of the R-P golfers have pushed themselves this season to improve their games and evolve as a team. For some of the players, that involved challenges as simple as shooting par on a hole for the first time in their careers.
R-P's Paige Anderson rips off a shot at practice on Monday. Photo/Joe Lane
Regardless of their skill level, all of the Rockets have shown steady and measurable progress, and Coach Matt Pallett credits Anderson for contributing to that effort.
“Paige is a great teammate,” Pallett said. “She is a team-first player. She’s very helpful to the other girls and encourages them a lot. The other girls mention to me how much they love playing with Paige.”
Anderson has won the individual title at three different high school tournaments this season, while the Rockets as a group lagged behind in the final team standings.
When the time came for the team group photo after those tournaments, Anderson removed her championship medal.
“She always puts her award away,” Pallett said. “She’s a very good player, but she’s also very humble.”
Anderson said the team aspect makes high school golf more interesting and fun, and she loves working with her teammates.
Anderson measures up a putt. Photo/Joe Lane
“We’ve all improved a lot since the start of the season,” Anderson said. “I feel like we all try to build each other up. At practice we all try to help and encourage each other.”
So why does she feel the need to hide her medals during team photo shots?
“I just take it off so we’re all equal,” she said. “We’re all doing the same thing.”
That doesn’t mean Anderson is not serious about her individual game. She’s a ferocious competitor who pushes herself to be the best she can be.
As Coach Pallett put it, “She’s not out there to lose, that’s for sure.”
Last year was Anderson’s breakthrough season, when she finished 11th at regionals and qualified for the Division 2 state finals as a sophomore.
Anderson will wear her medals when they are presented - but not in R-P team photos.
She finished 21st in the finals and won honorable mention All-State honors, and that gave her the motivation to shoot for higher goals this season.
Anderson got off to a great start, winning the individual title at the season-opening Mona Shores Invitational at Stonegate Golf Course in Twin Lake.
She has also captured first place at one O-K Green conference jamboree, and last week won the top spot at the very competitive Montague Invitational at Old Channel Trail Golf Course.
“I thought they were all pretty enjoyable,” Anderson said about her three titles. ”I would say I probably enjoyed Montague the most, though. There were a lot of good golfers there and I wasn’t expecting to win.”
Her next big challenge will come on Wednesday at the annual Greater Muskegon Athletic Association Tournament at Stonegate. She finished fourth in that event last year and is among the favorites this year.
“There’s something special about it, because it’s just the local teams,” Anderson said about the GMAA tournament. “If you win it’s nice to know that you hold the title in your own back yard.”
Anderson putts during a preseason practice while teammate Avery Luna watches.
Anderson’s biggest strength on the golf course may be her mental game. While it’s pretty typical for golfers to get upset about a bad shot or two, she’s learned how to control her emotions and put the bad moments in perspective.
That allows Anderson to figure out ways to get out of trouble spots, which she does on a regular basis.
At the Mona Shores Invitational she double bogeyed the eighth hole, then was in a tough spot with her ball sitting behind several trees on the ninth. She responded by curving a shot around the trees and using the slope of the green to get the ball within 10 feet of the hole.
Then she calmly sank the putt for a birdie and went on to win the tournament.
At a conference jamboree at The Mines Golf Course in Grand Rapids, her chip shot got away and the ball rolled about 30 feet down a hill. The situation could have led to a double or triple bogey, but Anderson chipped the ball back onto the green and avoided a disaster.
Anderson has won three tournaments so far this season and is among the favorites to capture the individual title at Wednesday's GMAA tournament. Photo/Joe Lane
After that she posted three birdies and won the tournament.
“Paige continues to impress me with her mental toughness,” Pallett said. “Her ‘next shot’ mentality and her ability to make great shots gets her out of what could be tough situations.”
Anderson said her mental toughness developed over time.
“I just kind of think about what I have to do to get myself out of those situations, instead of getting mad about the last shot,” she said. “A lot of golfers struggle with that, especially in high school.
"I used to get really upset when I was younger, and it would affect my whole game afterward. I guess I just kind of became more mature and realized that one bad shot did not have to ruin my score.”