As she makes her transition from middle to high school, Liv Housler (‘28), a freshman on varsity Girls’ Golf, has helped the team soar to number two in Michigan’s Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Recently, Housler placed 9th out of 107 at State Championships. To prepare, Housler practiced everyday. She went up to the course and continued to get reps in.
When she was competing in regionals, earlier in October, she wanted to keep herself balanced and not get too overconfident. “I went into it trying my best,” said Housler. “Putting my best foot forward [at regionals]. And it worked.”
Starting from age five, Housler knew she had a love for the game. “I’ve played for about nine years,” said Housler. “I love to play with my family and my cousins at Barton Hills.”
Housler has competed in many tournaments as well as camps. “[I’ve taken part in the] Michigan gold camp,” said Hosuler. “I do it every summer which is fun because you can talk to the coaches.”
Housler gets better and better by going year after year to summer camps. “Liv is a very strong golfer,” said Head Coach Melissa Schmidt. “She brings experience with playing with summer tournaments but also support to our other players to create confidence with our entire team.”
Unlike many sports, in golf you are trying to get the lowest score possible on each hole. Your short game is an important piece of that. Short game in golf is the chipping and putting, the final step of the hole. “Liv has great short game strength especially chipping,” said Schmidt. “Although golf can be an individual sport, she contributes at practice to help other teammates grow in that area while learning from others so she can grow in those additional skill sets.”
Being able to stay on top of work while missing class can be a challenge for many. “The balance is hard,” says Housler. “I get pulled [out of class] two to three times a week. I’m missing a lot and some teachers are more relaxed than others.”
Golf is a combination of mental challenges while still being a physical sport. Having to “stay even” said Hosuler and making sure you don’t get too high or too low on yourself. “[Golf] is 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical,” says Housler. “I haven’t figured [ how to stay in a good mindset] out yet, honestly I don’t think anyone has, until they get really good.”
Estelle Haft (‘24), who has played on the Girl’s Golf team for four years agrees with Housler, “Making sure you are staying in the right headspace and making sure your teammates are too is important.”
The atmosphere is key to a successful team. Hosuler has been able to connect with her teammates and continue the whole team’s success. “She shows us what to do and what we are doing wrong to make us better,” said Kennedy Wassef (‘26)
“[Skyline Golf has] really good people,” said Liv Housler (‘28). “It’s fun to just go and play…It is what I want to do everyday. If I could do anything 24/7, it would be golf.”
