BY CHRIS FORTUNE
Joellen Vogt started golfing at age 4 in her own backyard. Now, she’s a state championship invitee who placed 20th as a freshman, making Eudora history during the high school’s first season with a girls’ golf team.
The years of practice and lessons with PGA professional Jeff Burey of Twin Oaks Golf Complex helped lead Vogt to state as a freshman, but the willingness to learn the fundamentals and being a good listener helped refine her skills.
“It was crazy going as a freshman in my first year, and I had a lot of fun doing it,” she said. “It was a great experience.”
‘I knew … that I could do this’
Vogt had high expectations for herself going into a fall sports season during a pandemic when many questioned whether sports would even be played.
“I had a little bit of doubt, but I also knew it’s not a contact sport, you don’t really get close to anybody, and we’re outside,” Vogt said. “You don’t have much interaction with other schools because you stay pretty far apart.”
Head coach Susan DeVoe said she was more worried about her players contracting COVID-19 at school.
“So, I told Joellen to stay away from everybody and don’t go near anybody in any class,” she said.
Vogt took advantage of tournament opportunities to showcase her ability, despite having fewer of them on the season’s schedule due to the pandemic.
Vogt and a couple of her teammates would usually visit courses in advance that they would be playing at to familiarize themselves with them since each course is different and presents its own challenge.
“The first two tournaments we played in I got second, and that’s when I knew that I could go to state and that I could do this,” Vogt said.
She continued to find success during the season and performed well enough at Regionals to qualify for the 4A state tournament.
In her first class after coming back from Regionals, her teacher had her picture on the board and a message wishing her luck at state. The welcome sign at the high school congratulated her as well.
Vogt would go on to finish tied at 20th place at the state tournament and plans on working to improve after what she accomplished this season, but she also wants to see her other teammates succeed. Including Vogt, there are 10 girls on the golf team.
“I hope to gradually progress and maybe next year we’ll have a group of us that will go, and we’ll all do great at state,” she said.
Vogt was encouraged by her teammates' support throughout the season and especially at state.
“I really liked how two of my teammates came for the second day of the tournament at state and supported me,” she said. “I really appreciated that.”
‘Part of the foundation’
As Vogt learned the game of golf from her backyard and through lessons at Twin Oaks, she eventually joined the First Tee program at Twin Oaks at 8 years old. The First Tee program teaches kids golf and encourages them to learn life skills.
“She is always trying to improve and is an unbelievable and great student, listens well and is goal oriented,” Burey said. “Even when she was little, she exhibited concentration and focus.”
Vogt would practice three days a week with the team and would do the First Tee program after practice on Mondays for another hour and a half. She would also practice on Saturdays.
When she isn’t practicing and improving her own game, she helps as an instructor for the kids at Twin Oaks Golf Complex teaching preschoolers on Saturday mornings, which Burey said she does a great job at.
“Joellen has made the full turn from being 4 years old and starting to play golf and now she works with kids herself,” Burey said. “She relates to those kids better than I do as an old-time experienced club pro.”
Burey believes the golf program at Eudora will thrive for years to come with Vogt, DeVoe and future talent.
“Eudora is going to have a good boys’ and girls’ golf program for a long time, and Joellen is kind of part of the foundation for that,” he said. “Coach DeVoe is going to do a great job because she is going to have a lot of talent to work with.”
Vogt can’t practice as much during the winter, but that may change soon as she said DeVoe plans on getting an indoor golf simulator at the high school and Burey plans on getting one at the Twin Oaks clubhouse.
While Vogt does not aspire to play professional golf at the moment, which she said could change, she hopes to get a scholarship for golf and play through college.
Eleven years after she started practicing golf in her backyard, Vogt acknowledged the years of time and effort that went into the success she’s had.
“It was a lot of hard work,” she said. “Years of hard work that went into this.”
Reach reporter Chris Fortune at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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