The Cotter Ramblers are back in the swing on the golf course.
After Cotter made the decision to drop golf a number of years ago, when Cotter was still part of the Hiawatha Valley League, some student and parent interest in the past few years brought the team back from the dead.
One parent of a current player who had an interest in golf and thought Cotter should re-start a team was Luke Christopherson.
“There were four students on the co-op team with WSHS and I knew there were a lot more kids that would play if they had a team.” Luke said. Mr. Christopherson correctly sensed that there was sufficient interest in golf at Cotter and many people were driven away by the price of the co-op fee.
After Luke figured out that there was a need for golf at Cotter he talked to Mathias O’Brien, Cotter’s athletic director.
“Stats included how many golf scholarships in college go unused and it was one of the fastest growing sports for girls and boys in Minnesota. My philosophy is to annoy people with facts not feelings. Facts tell good stories,” Christopherson said.
A number of boys and girls also approached Mr. O’Brien about their interest in playing golf and the issue was brought to Cotter’s administration and booster club. At some point the school approved the new team for the spring of 2024. Practices and home meets are held at Cedar Valley Golf Course just outside of Winona.
Another contributing factor is also the strong history of the Cotter golf team. Cotter has had a state championship golf team and several Cotter golfers and coaches are in the Cotter Athletic Hall of Fame.
“ I also noticed in the hall of fame in the John Nett building that they had a state championship team at Cotter and I thought it would be cool to pursue that again,” Christopherson said.
Golf is a sport that is growing fast in the U.S. Golf has grown 16% in total play in the past 5 years. In the 15th century is when golf was started and they played hitting pebbles in sand dunes in Scotland. The game of golf has evolved so much when it first started, now a set of clubs may cost over $500. The game started picking up popularity in the 19th century and mid 20th century when they started broadcasting matches and charismatic pros like Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus popularized the game for a television audience.
One issue facing the team has been the turnover on the coaching staff during the first two years.
Cooper Christopherson, a junior on the team said “We could use more consistency from the coaching staff, it’s only been 2 years and we have had 2 different head coaches.”
While the team has improved this year, there is still a long ways to go with keeping consistency and rebuilding it up from where it used to be. Cooper was a player who was on the co-op team and he enjoys the Cotter golf because he is on a team full of his friends.
Cotter golf has a ways to go, but it is moving in the right direction and the school looks for greater participation and success in the years to come.
