New-look Mona Shores golf team seeking fourth straight GMAA city title
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The Mona Shores boys golf team poses with the GMAA city golf championship trophy at Stonegate Golf Club on May 4, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Scott Volkmann)
MUSKEGON – The Mona Shores boys golf team has already established itself as the team to beat in the OK Green Conference this spring but will have a chance to expand its bragging rights Wednesday during the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association golf tournament from the Lincoln Golf Club in Muskegon.
The Sailors have won the last three GMAA city tournaments and have both the team depth and individual production to extend their streak to four straight years.
“Winning always breeds confidence, so winning this event is always important to us,” said Mona Shores head coach Scott Volkmann. “We always set similar goals every year. We want to win the city tournament, win the conference, and get to the state finals in June. We’re taking the steps we need to reach those goals and this group is a hard-working bunch.
“We’re going out to practice right now (Tuesday) and battling through the elements to work on our short games and do the things we need to do to get better and put ourselves in a position to win tomorrow.”
Senior Nicholas Taylor has proven to be the top golfer in the Mona Shores lineup, while fellow seniors Oliver McDonald, Thomas Stewart, James Ackley, Carson Andree and junior Lucas Dethloff have also provided plenty of punch to the team scoring.
“Nick has really embraced the leadership role on the team this year,” said Volkmann of his senior standout. “He’s our top golfer and our only returning starter from last year’s team, so he’s really accepted that role and ran with it. He’s going to be playing at Saginaw Valley State next year so having someone with that kind of skill set is big for a team that as a group is still trying to figure out the bottom half of the lineup on a day-to-day basis.
“Nick has really helped stabilize everything and he’s been our hardest working player and he continues to be a great leader by example. He’s in the best spot both physically and mentally that I think he’s been in throughout his high school career and it’s shown with the results he has posted the first month of the season.
“James (Ackley) has put together some really nice scores lately as well. He finished with a 74 last Friday at the Corporal B Invitational at the American Dunes in Grand Haven and that was a very competitive field.”
The Sailors won last season’s city-wide tournament by 51 strokes with a 302 team score followed by runner-up Reeths-Puffer at 353 and Montague in third place with a 363. Whitehall (365), North Muskegon (368), Western Michigan Christian (384), Fruitport (386), Muskegon Catholic (399), Oakridge (400) and Holton (407) rounded out the rest of the team scores.
The 2023 GMAA boys golf city tournament will tee off at 9 a.m. Wednesday from the Lincoln Golf Club in Muskegon. The team with the lowest score will be awarded the annual GMAA city golf championship trophy, while the Top 10 individual finishers will also receive medals following the conclusion of the event.
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