Golf returns to the fairway, girls state champs, boys district champs

Seventeen Badger athletes came out for golf, some for the first time. Eight girls and nine boys have joined the Bonners Ferry High School golf program.

A majority of the team includes upperclassmen with many coming out to play golf for the first time. Three freshmen have also joined the program, coaches said.

In team competition, the top five golfers compete with the top four scores counted toward the team score.  

Travis Blackmore has taken over as golf coach, as Ralph Lotspeich has retired and moved out of the area. Blackmore has been a volunteer coach for the past three years, while his daughters were on the team. 

“I first helped Ralph coach during COVID. I’ve been an avid golfer for the past 12 years, and have been involved with the Bonners Ferry men's league for three to four years,” he said. 

For the first week of practice the team was able to get out on the Mirror Lake Golf Course, the home course, and do some conditioning. Unfortunately, Wednesday, Feb. 28, was a snow day with snow still on the course during the second week of practice. 

“Until the snow comes off the course, we are in a holding pattern,” Blackmore said as the team practiced in the commons, which serves as a lunch room. 

Even though the team is stuck indoors, golfers are still able to practice putting and swing rotation with nets and green setups. 

Blackmore said a major focus for new players is learning the rules of the sport and focusing on basics. 

“Many kids don’t play golf all the time or don’t get exposure to the sport. However, one of our freshmen has played summer league,” he said. 

With 4A school golf moving to a fall season, many golf tournaments are no longer available.

Blackmore said BFHS Athletic Director Curt Bayer is still scheduling additional matches. Currently, the girls have 10 matches and the boys have eight matches scheduled, excluding districts and the state competition.

The girl team has a full schedule, however, the boys can add two more matches to their schedule to make an even 10. 

Familiarity with the course leads to success, as golfers know what to expect for that round. Blackmore said. With that in mind, the teams are scheduled to play three rounds at the 3A Intermountain League district course, Twin Lake Golf Course in Rathdrum.

“We will play the Twin Lakes course a few time before the district competition,” he said. “Most of our returning athletes have played there two or more times.”

“Southern Idaho courses are links style, which are more forgiving,” he said. “While northern courses, such as Twin Lakes, are more strategic with water and trees in fairways.” 

The girls golf program has had several seasons of success, as the Badgers won their second state championship state title in 2023, with the first title being in 2021. In 2022 the Badgers took second to Kimberly by two strokes. 

Returning are senior sisters and collegiate D1 golf commits Braylyn and Avery Bayer. Avery will play for Idaho State University, in Pocatello and Braylyn will play for Weber State in Ogden, Utah. 

In 2023, during the regular season, the Bayer twins fought back and forth medalist honors at tournaments, with Braylyn taking first place at districts and Avery taking second place. 

The past three years the Bayers sisters have helped lead the BFHS golf to victory. In 2021, Badger girls golf team took first in state, with Braylyn taking third and Avery taking fourth place. In 2022, the team took second place and Braylyn finished in second place only two strokes behind the state champion. Avery finished in fifth. 

Last season Braylyn was named state champion, with Avery finishing in third place. 

Bonners Ferry boys won districts last season and advanced to state for the first time as a team since 2016, when they finished fourth out of eight teams.

Evan Reit took second at districts, scoring 87, one stroke behind Timberlake’s Colton Mendenhall.

Golfers shaved down several strokes last season at districts as compared to the 2022 season. Junior Eli Blackmore started off strong in the 2023 season opener, shaving off nine strokes from districts the year before and scoring 89. 

Returning senior, Chago Jimenez also saw vast improvement, scoring a 137 in 2022 at districts, and shaving off 23 strokes notching 114 at 2023 districts. 

Senior Tyson Tadlock stayed fairly consistent in his junior year scoring 106 at districts last season, compared to 102 the year before. He finished in fourth at districts. 

At state Eli Blackmore took 13th at 172 and Evan Reitz finished 14th at 173.

Blackmore wanted to thank the city of Bonners Ferry for the Mirror Lake Golf Course, which is used as the home course for the Badger golf team. He also thanked the new golf manager, Ben Staples, for his helpfulness and willingness to work with the team. 

    Badger girls golf team won their second state championship in 2023, with the first title being in 2021.
  

   First-year head golf coach, Travis Blackmore, right, works with senior Jesse Dye (left) on his swing technique.