The Mendham Girls Golf program is a recently introduced individual program to the Mendham athletic department, and in just their third season under head coach Shane Carey, the girls took away plenty of success from this spring! The Mendham girls’ group relied heavily on senior leadership from Juliette Hyde, as Juliette is a four-year varsity golfer whose experience in the program helped underclassmen gain confidence in themselves and the team. The team itself had some ups and downs throughout their exhibition matches, finishing 2-6-1, however, the team shot a blistering 197 score to finish third in Morris County! This stellar result saw Mendham finish ahead of programs such as Chatham, West Morris, Madison, Montville, and more established Morris County programs!
Juliette Hyde’s leadership throughout her four-year career as a girls’ varsity golfer has transitioned this program into the strong, inviting program it is today. Juliette focuses on “[keeping] a sense of humor and [having] lots of fun” on the course, as she better than anyone understands the importance of playing freely and enjoyably without being overly concerned with each stroke. Coach Carey recognizes Juliette’s leadership in many ways, as he says, “It’s going to be hard to lose a leader like Juliette, but the girls [have seen] the shoes they have to fill both from a scoring and leadership perspective.” Juliette’s ability to lead by example has allowed her underclassmen teammates to understand the character and leadership traits it takes for a girls golfer to be successful in this program, and Coach Carey is confident his underclassmen golfers are prepared to continue the success that Juliette Hyde sparked for this program!
When asked about the keys to having a successful and fulfilling spring season, Juliette Hyde remarked, “You need to have [substantial] amounts of confidence in your ability.” The Mendham Girls Golf program works hard to improve each golfer’s mental perseverance, as golf is a sport that takes significant mental toughness to succeed. Coach Carey echoed Hyde’s comments about the mental side of Golf, as he spoke of his own coaching, saying, “I try to tell my girls that forgiving yourself for mistakes is important to maintaining performance over a long period of time.” The immense focus Coach Carey and the girls’ golf program places on the mental toughness golf requires is a significant reason they were able to outscore numerous county foes who previously defeated Mendham in exhibition matches. Focusing on the next shot, the next opportunity for success is something the Girls Golf program embraces, and it has shown through their recent success this Spring!
In reflecting on her time as a Mendham Girls golfer, Juliette Hyde has taken away “important life lessons that [she hopes] will grow through [her] college experience and beyond.” At times, the pressure of high school sports can feel like the weight of the world, but in reality, the transferable lessons athletes can take from sports and apply to everyday life is the beautiful thing about golf and all high school sports! Juliette Hyde will be attending The University of Virginia in the Fall, and while the Mendham athletic program wishes her leadership and skill could return for another year, it is evident the great things she will accomplish, as the leadership, mental toughness and life lessons she’s learned from high school girls golf will stay with her through her professional life.
