“Golf is just a really different type of sport. I love it,” said Erin Redgrave, a junior who broke boundaries this year when she became the newest member of the Western Albemarle varsity boys’ golf team.

Varsity girls’ golf is offered at many other public high schools across the nation, but a team has never been created here at Western. Redgrave’s only option was to join the boys’ team. Since her father is the head professional for golf at Wintergreen Resort, Redgrave has been around golf her entire life, but it wasn’t until this fall that she decided to “buckle down and just join the team.”

The Title IX amendment, passed in 1972, made it required by law for girls to be offered all of the same athletic opportunities as boys. As a result, Redgrave was allowed to try out with the boys and was thought of as just a regular member of the team.

Mr. Maynard, the golf coach, said, “It’s been going on for a while that girls can play on boys teams, so everyone’s pretty used to it, but it’s still pretty rare to see a girl out on the course.”

Some rules did have to be adjusted for Redgrave. She could only play about 85 percent of the distance that the guys played for each hole.

“Yeah, the other teams did have to wait for me and sometimes they seemed sort of annoyed. But it wasn’t really a big deal,” said Redgrave.

Even though the competition didn’t always like playing against a girl, the boys from Western Albemarle were, right from the beginning, nothing but welcoming to the newest addition to their team.

“The team is super nice,” said Redgrave, “We’re kind of like a big dysfunctional family. We play jokes on each other and get along really well. Everyone just kind of clicks.”

“I think the guys actually liked having a girl on the team,” said Coach Maynard, “It made them behave a little better.”

The season unfortunately came to an end in early October, though, when the Warriors came in sixth at the regional competition, which meant they would not advance to states. But for Redgrave and the other members of the team, it was still a great season. “I’m really hoping to be back out there next year,” she said. “Being on the golf team was just a really great experience.