Can you hold a putter? UVSC golf wants you

If you've ever played golf; if you've ever considered playing golf; if you've ever seen golf on TV...

OK, if you can spell golf, you're in luck.

There could be a college scholarship waiting for you.

Think of it — learning to play and having your schooling paid, too. Where do I sign up?

For all the benefits Title IX has afforded women in college sports, there are also pitfalls: thousands of printed programs that go unsold, teams that simply exist to meet requirements, and closure of parallel men's sports. Nevertheless, Utah Valley State College has eyes on becoming a full-service Division I-A athletic program, so it revved up a women's golf program last spring. But the school is begging for someone to take up its offer.

As of last week, its team consisted of only three players.

Headlines from the UVSC athletic Web site tell the story. On April 25, the press release read: "Utah Valley State to Add Women's Golf."

It quoted athletics director Mike Jacobsen saying, "It will be a great opportunity for some very skilled student athletes to have an opportunity to compete collegiately."

Some pretty unskilled ones, too. In the Wolverines' first outing, last week, they had to enter individually because they didn't have the requisite five players to make up a team. UVSC's Whitney Drumwright carded a 28-over-par 172 two-day total, 27 strokes behind the winner at La Quinta Mountain Shootout in Arizona. She finished 46th — best among the Wolverines. Ashley Baldwin finished with a 179, followed by Shari Johnson at 189.

In fairness to the golfers, they could hardly be blamed. They simply took advantage of an opportunity. Following the April announcement that a team would be fielded, they were among the few that responded. It's a bit like being named ambassador to the Republic of Vanuatu: You may or may not know much about the country, but the temperature is 72 degrees, year-round.

What are you waiting for?

On July 12, Denise Larson was hired as head coach. "My first priority is finding girls to play on the team," she said.

No kidding.

On August 19, another press release was issued under the headline "Women's Golf to Hold Open Tryouts."

Apparently recruiting was out of the question at that late date.