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By Jay Spivey
For the Clemmons Courier

The West Forsyth girls golf team has made huge strides over the last couple years, but there’s just been one problem.
West Forsyth is in the Central Piedmont 4-A, the same conference that Reagan, which has won three of the last four NCHSAA Class 4-A state titles, is in.
Reagan won last year’s team championship by 15 strokes over runner-up Cardinal Gibbons, while the Titans finished seventh, 49 shots behind Reagan.

And that’s something that Bill Walwik, the third-year head coach for the Titans is fully aware of.
West has two building blocks — senior Mary-Paige King, the daughter Kevin King, the Titans’ boys golf coach, as well as junior Paige Sidney — to help the Titans make a push in the conference race.
“Right now, it’s been easy with players like Mary-Paige King and Paige Sidney,” Walwik said. “They’re a juggernaut in the program. They really hold it together. But finding younger players, people coming up, is not easy because you’re at the whim of roles quite frankly.”

King finished 20th at 12 over in last year’s NCHSAA Class 4-A state championship, 16 shots behind Reagan’s Morgan Ketchum, who won the individual championship by four strokes but has since graduated.
Sidney tied for 30th at 18 over. Sophomore Sadie Meacham tied for 42nd at 21 over.

“She’s (King) really worked on the mental side of her game — course management, sometimes taking what the course gives you,” Walwik said. “If you hit a bad shot don’t make into two bad shots. Take your medicine and move on. And playing to her strengths. I’ve seen that a lot. She’s a very good iron player.

“Things like if you hit the ball in a bad place don’t try to make a hero shot, just hit it out there, and use your strength and get it close, and save par that way. She’s doing more and more of that. Her mental approach to the game, that’s been her biggest improvement.”

The Titans also have junior Mackenzie Taylor and sophomore Katherine Perdue.

“Right now, we’re in fine shape because Mary-Paige is a senior, Paige is a junior, Sadie Meacham is a sophomore, so we’ve got a nice little group,” Walwik said. “As we’re moving forward, it’s getting more challenging to find girls to play at a high level.”


If everything comes together like Walwik expects West Forsyth could fare well in the conference championship at Maple Chase.

“Success always breeds success,” Walwik said. “And kids are choosing to play, or choosing schools, they see you’ve got a successful program, or a program that’s healthy, they’re more likely to choose that school.”

“I think we’ll be a lot more competitive with Reagan this year,” Walwik said. “Last year, I tell people somewhat flippantly, but there’s certainly a lot of truth in this, I always thought we were the best second-place team (in the conference standings) in the state.”

2022 girls golf schedule

• Aug. 16 vs. Oak Grove, Davie
• Aug. 22 at East Forsyth
• Aug. 24 at Davie
• Aug. 25 at NW Guilford Invitational
• Aug. 30 vs. CPC 4-A match
• Sept. 6 CPC 4-A match at Glenn
• Sept. 13 CPC 4-A match at Mount Tabor
• Sept. 15 at North Davidson
• Sept. 19 CPC 4-A match at Reynolds
• Sept. 20 vs. Bishop McGuinness
• Sept. 26 at Oak Grove
• Sept. 27 CPC 4-A match at Reagan
• Oct. 3 CPC 4-A match at Davie
• Oct. 4 vs. North Davidson
• Oct. 11 CPC Championship at Reagan
• Oct. 17 NCHSAA 4-A Regional at Longleaf CC
• Oct. 24 NCHSAA 4-A State Championship at Pinehurst

2022 girls golf roster

Emery Bowlin
Mary-Paige King
Sadie Mecham
Katherine Perdue
Paige Sidney
Alivia Talley
Mackenzie Taylor