Brittany Russell knew that the only way she was going to improve her golf game was by practicing.
The Oconto Falls High School junior hit the links frequently during the summer, continued to work on her game throughout the fall and recently learned she was named to the All-Bay Conference second team.
“I was really excited about it,” Russell said. “It meant a lot.”
She also advanced to the WIAA Division 2 sectional for the first time, carding a 111 Monday on the Mid-Vallee Golf Course in De Pere. The score did not qualify her for the state meet, but it also did nothing to diminish a successful season.
Paul Luebke, in his third season coaching Russell, is pleased to see his golfer enjoying a breakout year.
“I think it’s a pretty nice honor,” Luebke said. “She worked very hard during the offseason. She golfed quite a bit this summer, put a lot of time in on her own. She’s seen the fruits of her labor coming around.”
Russell took lessons over the summer from a golf professional at the Brown County Golf Course in Oneida. Russell also played a lot of rounds with her father.
“I’m in softball, so once that kind of wound down, I was out golfing, four, five times a week — just getting ready for the season,” Russell said.
Russell has also been a regular at the course during the fall season.
“If she was kind of struggling on some stuff, she would go out and golf on the weekend on her own,” Luebke said. “Before we went to conference, she went out and golfed at Brown County and did nine one morning, just to get out and golf. That’s the kind of kid she is. She’s always working hard.”
Russell has always been a solid putter, but she had plenty of other areas to work on.
“From last year to this year, her short game’s gotten a lot better,” Luebke said. “Getting off the tee box, she’s more accurate this year. Those are probably the two big things.”
As a freshman, Russell was consistently a mid-60s golfer who would occasionally card a 60 over nine holes. The following season, she broke through into the mid-50s and would hit a 50 on a great day. This year, Russell has been consistently in the high 40s to low 50s.
“Every year she’s made a big leap,” Luebke said. “She’s progressed nicely for three years.”
On Sept. 11, Russell scored a personal-best round of 45 at a conference meet at Mid-Vallee Golf Course in De Pere.
“Everything just came together, off the tee box, putting and chipping,” Russell said. “I wasn’t giving up strokes in places where I didn’t need to take them.”
One week later, at another Bay competition, Russell finished with a 46 at the Shawano Lake Golf Course.
“I think that kind of opened her eyes and she kind of took a look and said, ‘Hey, I can really shoot a mid- to low 40,’” Luebke said.
Russell starting hitting in the 40s and her confidence skyrocketed. She used that confidence heading into regionals.
Russell accomplished one of her main goals this season by advancing to sectionals for the first time. She shot a 104 to place 18th at a WIAA Division 2 regional at the Irish Waters Golf Course in Freedom on Oct. 4, good enough to earn the fourth and final individual spot for sectionals.
Russell is pleased with how her season has gone.
“I would have liked to have been lower at the conference meet,” Russell said, “but I’m happy with where I am.”
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