SEASON PREVIEW … Archbold High School boys golf coach Ian Radabaugh (right) talked about the Bluestreak golfers and answered numerous questions from Rotarians about high school golf. The program was arranged by Rotarian Royal Short.
PRESS RELEASE – Archbold boys golf coach Ian Radabaugh, a 2017 AHS grad, is starting his second year at the helm of the Bluestreak linksters, who are looking to win the NWOAL crown after finishing second last year.
Girls golf coach Laura Bickel was also planning to attend a recent Archbold Rotary meeting to talk about the girls’ team that won the league title last year; however, the girls were subsequently invited to participate in the Celina Invitational that was held the same day. So, her presentation was read by high school principal Royal Short, who arranged the program.
Radabaugh explained that practice for both teams started July 28 with the season beginning shortly thereafter as most of the teams’ invitationals with multiple schools participating are 18-hole events held before the school year starts.
After school begins, he said that most matches are 9-hole games with fewer teams participating in order to complete the matches after school and while there’s ample daylight.
The regular high school golf season wraps up by mid-September, followed by the league championships with the sectional and district tournaments concluding by the end of September. He said the state golf tournament is held in early October.
Both the girls and boys teams hold most of their practices at Ironwood golf course; however, participation in the girls and boys golf programs has grown so much over the last few years that each team practices separately.
Radabaugh has both varsity and junior varsity teams, which provides opportunities for golfers to practice as a team and allows the JV golfers to compete for varsity slots as they improve. The girls have a varsity team.