Throughout the golf season in Howard County, girls had the opportunity to play on their own teams for the first time.

Today, the best of them will be back on the golf course playing in the District 5 championships at Timbers of Troy in co-ed play. Eventually, separate competition for girls may also arrive on the district and state levels, but for now it is only on the county level that Howard County girls have had their own teams.

Was it a good idea?

River Hill coach Matt Graves and Atholton coach John Engelkemier both think the plan worked.

"I think it’s the smartest thing the county has ever done," said Engelkemier. "This year I had four girls try out, just enough to make a team. Next year I expect to triple that."

And Graves pointed out, "There is so much scholarship money for girl golfers out there that goes unused around the state. This could help girls find a way to go to college at a discounted price. I have a daughter, Gabby, age 4. If one day this could help her get a scholarship, with me making a teacher’s salary, I’m all for it."

At Centennial, where coach Ron Martin coached his girls team to the county championship Wednesday, there was not quite so much effervescence. He agreed, however, that it's a good thing that the number of girls participating in the county event had climbed from seven last year to 31 this year.

"There are pluses and minuses," said Martin, whose team is anchored by Audra McShane. She was recognized as the best girl golfer in the county even before she won the individual title Wednesday, and she's also called the best golfer, boy or girl, at Centennial by her coach.

"Audra likes and benefits from competition and for 90 percent of the season she had no competition," said Martin. "She’d tee off and spend the rest of the time at a hole looking behind her. She would have been much better off playing this season against the boys."

Martin also pointed out the difficulty schools had assembling enough players for separate girls teams. At Centennial, he had only four girls try out and was one of just nine of the county’s 12 high schools that was able to field a complete team -- and some of those were "iffy."

At Marriotts Ridge, where No. 1 girl golfer Jenna Albright played on the boys team the year before, the junior said she also missed the constant competition that came in co-ed matches. But she added she had found great satisfaction in being a positive influence on other girls for the future.

"There are girls who golf who didn’t come out for the team," she said. "I don’t know why they didn’t. But I think they will next year. I’ve been telling everyone how much fun it has been to play with the girls team and that there is no need to feel the intimidation that some girls might feel playing on a co-ed team with boys."

Golf coaches recruiting for a girls team during this season were at a disadvantage, Graves points out. Because tryouts started before school began, it was difficult to get the word out about the team.

"I started with two girls and then approached the volleyball and field hockey coaches, asking them to tell girls who were cut from those teams that I was looking for players," he said. "I got two that way."

Girls golf in Howard County is a work in progress. And even Martin agrees, "You’ve got to start somewhere. Heck, we [the county] didn’t even have boys golf until four years ago."

-- Sandra McKee