After all the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Majettes golf team is grateful for the opportunity to compete this season.

“I was nervous we would never see the course again, and it would be a year or two before we saw the course again,” MHS head coach Scott Foltz said. “To be out here, playing in the sunlight is like getting out of jail. It’s a terrific feeling, especially on a beautiful day like today.”

Foltz screened all seven varsity golfers for coronavirus symptoms before declaring the group “COVID-free” and ready to start practice.

“We are getting our temperatures taken in the morning with all that stuff, and we are keeping our distance on the course to make sure we can keep our season,” Minot senior captain Bella Dobrinski said. “We are all really thankful right now, and we are taking our precautions.”

Alex Eisen/MDN Minot High senior Sydni Gartner tees off Tuesday morning on the second hole at the Vardon Golf Club in Minot.

Dobrinski finished last season with an All-State ninth-place finish at the two-day state meet. She was also Minot’s best finisher at the West Region Tournament, tying for third place, at the Links of North Dakota in Williston.

Striving to carry that end-of-season form into her senior campaign, Dobrinski spent most of her summer on the links.

“I played nine or 18 holes almost every day,” she said. “Then, on the days I didn’t feel like playing, I still hit the (driving) range. I can’t speak for all of our girls, but I know we do take advantage of having the summer right before our season. We put in a lot of hours in the summer.”

Fellow senior Savanah Brintnell returns as another experienced scorer for the Majettes. The Bishop Ryan student shot an 88.1 average score per round last year with her best score being an 83 in the season opener.

“I’ve been working a lot on my short game a lot this summer because I know that’s where I can really score,” Brintnell said.

Minot’s third senior is varsity newcomer Sydni Gartner.

“She has played with us for four years and is making a move to get into that top six,” Foltz said. “Hopefully, we are going to reinforce ourselves with some younger kids. We have about 25 kids over at Souris (Valley Golf Course) as we practice social distancing in our practices.”

The Majettes have to replace graduates Becca Tschetter and Jaci Jones. It’s top two scorers from a season ago have both moved on to play golf collegiately. Tschetter is going to Grand Canyon University (Arizona), while Jones stayed local and will play at Minot State University.

“We lost a couple of pretty good golfers,” Foltz said. “But we do return a lot of experience.”

Four golfers — senior Taryn Trueblood, junior Addison Sorenson, junior Avery Falcon and freshman Cali Wilson — are looking to build off their sporadic varsity starts in the past to become regular, consistent scorers for the Majettes this season.

All of them saw action in at least two varsity tournaments last season. Wilson posted the best round with an 86 at the Mandan Invite. Sorenson was three shots back with an 89 at the Dickinson Invite.

“These are some of the most dedicated kids you will find,” Foltz said. “They expect three to four-hour practices in the hot sun or the cold.”

Foltz signaled out two-time defending state champions Bismarck Century as the team to beat. The Patriots return sophomore twin sisters Hannah and Leah Herbel.

Hannah Herbel is the two-time medalist winner at the Class A State Tournament and individually won seven out of 10 WDA/postseason meets last season. Leah Herbel won two, and Williston’s Carrie Carmichael won the other.

“Bismarck Century has to be the odds on favorite right now,” Foltz said.

But the Majettes do have a valuable advantage going for them. The West Region Tournament and the Class A State Tournament is scheduled to be held at the Souris Valley Golf Course in Minot this year.

“The last time we won the state championship (2009) was here, pre-flood, at the Minot Country Club,” Foltz said. “So, it means a lot to be on your home course… You don’t have those outside stresses of being in an unusual environment. We are going to play that course a lot and get to know that course inside and out.”

Dobrinski added: “We have been playing at Souris for years, so we know how the course rolls. We want to take advantage of that.”

The Majettes’ season starts on Monday, Aug. 17, at the Jamestown Country Club for the Jamestown Invite. Minot then travels to Bismarck on Tuesday for the Bismarck High Invite at the Tom O’Leary Golf Course.

Minot hosts its own regular-season invite on Sept. 18 at the Vardon Golf Club. Postseason play at Souris Valley will be Sept. 28 for the West Region Tournament and Oct. 5-6 for the two-day state tournament.

Alex Eisen covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.