Dexter senior enjoys being 'one of the guys' on the golf course

The high school golf season for Missouri girls opens Aug. 7, but it won’t include Dexter High School senior Alyssa Warren.

That is because she, being the only female golfer at her school, competes in the spring with the Bearcat boy’s squad.

“Sometimes,” Warren responded when asked if she wishes the Bearcats had a girl’s team. “But I really think that I’m better off being on the boy’s team.

“It really pushes me.”

Competing with guys is nothing new for Alyssa. After all, she has been doing it her whole life.

Her father, Tim Warren, and older brother, Spencer Warren, have been taking Alyssa to the golf course “for as long as I can remember.”

She explained that the three hold nothing back in terms of competition, but it is often among the most enjoyable moments that she experiences.

“I love coming out here on the weekends with my dad and brother,” Alyssa said as she looked out over the Hidden Trails Country Club course in Dexter. “It is really competitive.”

That experience prepared her – to a degree – for her high school debut a few years ago, though, she admits, that day was a tad rough (no pun intended).

“It was very scary,” Alyssa said of being a freshman girl on the course with older boys. “It was very nerve-wracking. All of these boys were so good, and they could hit it so much further than me.”

Despite Alyssa being the only girl in the match, there are no special exceptions made for her.

The boys play from the blue tees (further back), thus, so does she.

“It has definitely helped me with my confidence,” Alyssa said. “I think that playing with them made me a better player.”

Her coach, Eric Sitze, concurs.

“This (past year),” Sitze said, “she has shown her most improvement. She is just a better player this year.”

Her junior year debut was not “scary” for anyone other than her teammates.

Last spring, Alyssa shot a team-best score in the Bearcats’ opening match.

“That kind of got everybody’s attention pretty quickly,” Sitze said.

Alyssa also finished her junior season well, as she shot an 89 on the second day of the MSHSAA Class 3 State Finals at the Meadow Lake Acres Country Club in New Bloomfield, which Sitze said: “was a difficult course.”

Of the 87 boys competing in the Class 3 State Finals, 16 didn’t register a round under 90, of which Alyssa did.

“Her best attribute,” Sitze said, “especially playing with the boys, and from the blue tees, is her distance. She has a very high swing speed, so she is able to hit it further.

“That really helps her.”

Her passion for the sport also helps Alyssa.

“I love golf so much,” Alyssa said. “Every time that I come out here, I get to relax and play the game that I love.”

According to Sitze AND Alyssa, she also can “relax” on the course with her male teammates.

Asked if the boys on Dexter’s team treat Alyssa like “one of the guys,” Sitze responded, “Sometimes, too much.”

Alyssa, who has spent this summer playing in multiple events throughout Missouri, as well as getting on the course as much as possible to work on her game, said she has had a great time being part of the Bearcat boy’s team.

“They are definitely like brothers,” Alyssa said. “They’re mean to me sometimes, but then sometimes they are so sweet. I love them to death.

“But they definitely don’t like it when I beat them.”