Although sophomore Caroline Salvas hasn’t been playing golf for long, she is quickly making a name for herself on a team which is re-branding itself.
“I started playing golf when I was seven or eight. I like playing it since you don’t have to be very athletic to be good and I needed a sport to play,” Salvas said.
Outside of the team’s designated practices, however, is how Salvas gains her competitive edge. She takes inspiration with pro-golfer Jordan Spieth in how he plays and practices.
“When I practice, I usually just go to the driving range and hit a lot of golf balls. I usually do that for about an hour or two a day during week,” Salvas said.
With former Coach Greg Wischmann departing, former head coach Tom Ferry has returned as the new coach for the boys and girls golf teams. Ferry has a very high opinion of Salvas as not only a player but also a teammate and leader of the team. Although it is only her second year playing and this is Ferry’s first year coaching her, he feels strongly about her talent as a player.
“Caroline is a wonderful player and a dedicated teammate. She has great leadership qualities and works really hard so she’s definitely leading by example,” Ferry said.
Ferry also notes her best skills as a golfer, touting her abilities despite being a developing player.
“She can absolutely crush the ball. Whenever she swings, she swings with a great deal of power and that’s really unusual to find for somebody who is just a sophomore in high school. She also has a lot of ball control and plays the course very well,” Ferry said.
One of Salvas’ teammates is junior Natalie Beyfuss, who is on her second year playing with Salvas on the golf team. Beyfuss met Salvas at a summer practice last year for the first time.
“Caroline is an excellent player. She’s just naturally very good at the sport and when she first started she had an amazing drive. Her personality is awesome on the team since she doesn’t care what other people think and she does what she wants. If she doesn’t do well she doesn’t worry as long as she gave it her all,” Beyfuss said.
Although Salvas looks to expand on her skill, she isn’t sure what the future holds for her golfing career outside of this year.
“My goal for this year is to probably advance out of sectionals and for the future it is to get a golf scholarship so that I don’t have to pay for college. IU and Purdue would be my top choices,” Salvas said.
Despite Salvas’ youth on the roster, Ferry expects this to be the year where she takes game to the next level. With Salvas already shooting a 39 on a more advanced course, Ferry believes she will do great things on the team this year.
“Right now I guarantee you that she’s going to go to regionals. Even if we don’t get out as a team she’s going to as an individual. She’s already shot below 40, a 39, on a very difficult nine-hole course, in Ironwood called the Lakes. She has already and will continue to be a low medalist in a lot of different match play. She has the potential to go to the next level and beyond,” Ferry said.