By Greg Levinsky — Correspondent
A rules official stopped Sophie Redmond on the 16th hole during her round of the Mass Golf Girls’ Junior Championship Amateur Championship to deliver a timely message.
No, the 15-year-old didn’t break any rules. No scoring changes.
Rather, the course official sped across Bass River Golf Course in South Yarmouth to inform her that the youngest of the three Redmond sisters, Nathalie, 12, had captured the association’s Mite Division championship.
“I was just kind of shocked,” Sophie says. “And I thought it was kind of funny that the official put in the effort to drive over to me and tell me.”
But really, it makes sense. For the Concord siblings, the golf course is more than just greens and fairways; it’s where they come together and hone their craft in a supportive, joyful environment.
Pack up the clubs
Erika, a senior at Concord-Carlisle, Sophie, a sophomore, and Nathalie, a seventh grader, relish their twice-weekly nine-hole rounds at Westford’s Butter Brook Golf Club or Wayland Country Club.
They pile into Erika’s car, gear in tow, and share countless laughs on the course.
“We challenge ourselves with different shots and strategies, too,” Erika, 17, says. “We all just enjoyed how we can practice together. It’s fun that way.”
The girls tried a handful of sports growing up: soccer, tennis and swimming. Golf just clicked.
Their father, Shawn, is the sisters’ swing coach. He got into golf after college, but his daughters say he could be a pro if he wanted.
Athletes for all seasons
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association’s fall high school golf season historically involves boys’ teams; girls play in the spring. But the two oldest Redmond sisters are among a handful of golfers in the state who play both seasons.
Concord-Carlisle fields just one golf team, a co-ed group, each fall. Erika and Sophie play for that team in the fall and compete in the state’s individual girls’ tournaments during the spring.
Last year, Erika played C-C’s No. 2 spot, with Sophie at No. 4 of the team’s eight varsity slots. They’ll probably hold the same positions this fall, according to C-C golf coach Carl Sweeney.
“They’re extremely intelligent and do a great job of putting their head down knowing exactly what they need to work on,” says Sweeney, now in his first year at the helm after serving five years as an assistant. “They have a competitiveness in them. Their will to want to get better and excel, that’s what really amazes me.”
Leading the charge
Erika captains the Patriots’ fall co-ed team alongside classmate Will Spring, the reigning Dual-County League MVP. Named an All-Scholastic by both The Boston Globe and Boston Herald as a sophomore and junior, Erika hopes to double down on those honors as a senior. She finished third in the North/Central/West sectional and tied for an eighth-place finish at the state tournament.
This summer, the National Honor Society student played in the United States Golf Association’s qualifier and finished 16th overall in the New England Women’s Amateur Championship. Sophie, a high honors student who also plays on the C-C basketball team, finished tied for 17th in the girls’ state golf championship last year en route to Herald All-Scholastic and Globe All-Scholastic honorable mention honors.
The older sisters embrace competing in the match-play format, a one-to-one competition against a golfer from the opposing school.
“Boys will want to smash the shot super-far down the fairway,” Erika says. “I can’t hit it as far as a lot of them, so I have to play my rounds more strategically.”
An added incentive
When Nathalie won that Mass Golf’s Girls Junior Championship for the ages 13 and under, her dad gave her a challenge. If she shot under par on the second day of the two-day tournament, he’d buy her a skirt she’d been asking for. Going into the last hole even par, she had to birdie for both the prize from her father and the tournament championship.
She sank a long putt to clinch it.
“Halfway through the round, my rangefinder died, so I had to use my natural golf senses to figure it out,” Nathalie says. “I made the putt, and I was really happy. We went home, and then we bought it online.”
They all hope to play in college, but for now, practicing together works just fine.
“It’s a big part of all of our lives,” Erika says. “It’s how we spend most of our time.”
