Blue Ponies tee off the 2021 season

Summer rages on, but, the start of the 2021 high school golf season is upon the Havre Blue Ponies, and, HHS head coach George Ferguson couldn't be happier about that.

The Blue Ponies open their season after just three practices as they play in the all Class AA Great Falls Invitational today and Tuesday in the Electric City.

"So excited to get going," Ferguson said. "We have big numbers on our golf teams this season, and they run the gamut, from a lot of experienced returners, to newcomers and all types of players in between. It's exciting to see how popular golf is amongst the kids again, and, I think, it really bodes well for the future of our program. And this season's going to be a lot of fun."

Ferguson also said he looks forward to at least some normalcy in the way the golf season will be played. A year ago, COVID-19 protocols for golf included no mixing of players groups, no awards ceremonies and no gatherings on the course whatsoever, even in the postseason.

"In other words, last year you showed up, got of the bus as teams, went to your starting hole, golfed as a team, went straight to the bus and left the course immediately," Ferguson said. "It was very strange. I mean, I was glad we got to play, and I thought the season went really well considering everything we were going through. But, I know the kids really missed the completion aspect of playing with kids from other schools, and getting medals and trophies afterwards. We missed that and I'm glad we'll have the chance to have some of our normal golf traditions back this year."

Speaking of traditions, Ferguson is helping to continue a strong boys golf tradition at HHS, after his Ponies finished third in the Eastern A and saw then - senior Josh Warp earn Class A All-State honors last fall at the Butte Country Club.

This year, the HHS boys should be strong again, with All-Conference senior Caleb Spangler, and three-year varsity standouts Theron Peterson and Kale Reno returning. Havre also has more veterans back in the fold, including junior Lane Kinsella, sophomore Reid Kato, junior Conner McKay, junior Dylan Kuhn and sophomore Shane Patacsil and others who will contend for varsity spots throughout the year.

Overall, Ferguson said he has more than 25 boys out for golf this fall, including a large group of returners, plus a promising crop of incoming freshman.

"I think our boys team will be very stgrong," Ferguson said. "We have a lot of good golfers returning. We have a lot of golfers coming back who are ready to gain more experience this year, and, we have a big group of freshmen who will take the game very seriously and will be the future of this program for sure. So our boys team is in great shape.

"Of course, the Eastern A is always going to be tough with Laurel and Billings Central, but, I think we're with there in terms of the top teams in our division."

Ferguson is also aiming to get the girls team headed in that direction as well. The Ponies did graduate a large group of leaders from last year's squad, but senior Katharine Greenwood and junior Sylvie McKeon-Hanson return from last year's squad that qualified for the state tourney after finishing fourth in the Eastern A. Add to that sophomores Shea Reber, Cali Pyrak, Kylie Greenwood, Courtney Burchard and Alexa LaBrie, all who gained valuable experience a year ago, as well as a host of newcomers, and the Pony girls team is definitely on the way up.

"I think the girls team has a chance to continue to just better and better," Ferguson said. "We have a lot of girls, both varsity and JV, who are looking to really make their mark in golf, and that's important. They want to learn, they want to get better and they want to play good golf, and that is the right attitude to have. Golf is a very hard sport, but our girls are all showing great, positive attitudes so far, and that's really going to carry them along way.

"So again, I'm excited about this season for our girls. They have a ton of potential."

The season itself has a lot of potential as well, as the Ponies will get ample opportunities to hone their skills on a variety of golf courses. After the Great Falls invite, Havre continues a busy week with the Havre Invite on Thursday and the Browning Invite on Friday. The Ponies also go to the Jawbone Match Play in Harlowtown to close out August, while September includes trips to Hardin, Glendive, Sidney, Billings and Laurel.

"Our schedule is really good," Ferguson said. "We will get to play most of the courses within our division, which will be great for our kids. We'll have a lot of chances to just compete and get better, and that's what we want to do throughout the season, just get better, so that, as a team, and as individuals, we're playing our best come the postseason."

The postseason will also see the Ponies play at Sidney for the Eastern A Divisional, and at Mission Bay in Polson for the Class A state tournament.

Right now, though, Ferguson isn't looking too far ahead. He's more focused on just helping all of his players become better golfers, and more.

"I want this season to be fun for all our kids, for all of the different skill levels we have," Ferguson said. "We're going to compete. We're going to try and win medals and trophies and shoot the best possible scores we can. But we're also going to make sure all our kids get better, learn to love the game, and, most importantly, have fun being Blue Pony golfers. No matter how hard golf is, how challenging it can be, it has to be fun for these kids. They have to enjoy being out there, and that's a big goal for us, to make sure they enjoy it and want to keep doing it. We have great kids, as always, and I'm really excited about coaching this program again this season."

Havre opens its season today at Meadowlark Country Club. The Ponies will be back in Great Falls Tuesday at Eagles Falls, then they will host the annual Havre Invite Thursday at both Prairie Farms Golf Course and Beaver Creek Golf Course.