When they walked off the 18th green for their final time as Bison golfers, seniors Cameron Haynesworth and Kyle Scharf realized they had a lot to reflect on from four years on the high school team, including three years leading the varsity team.

After spending their freshman year on the JV team, both Haynesworth and Scharf worked hard in the off-season to improve their skills.

“My best moment was probably my first varsity match as a sophomore,” Haynesworth said. “Varsity golf is a much better experience than JV, and I’ve really enjoyed it.

“From my three years on varsity, I feel like I’ve become much more of a leader on this team, as well as growing a stronger relationship with the coach and other players,” he added.

Through extensive time as leaders of this team, both also described the great relationships they had with teammates, whom they became very close with over the years, and head varsity coach Will Cumpstone, whom they credit with helping them grow as golfers.

While neither player reached their career postseason tournament goals, and the team’s record was not as strong as they may have hoped, both have a lot of positives to take from their many hours spent on golf courses after school.

“An individual goal I had was to get Second Team in the CVC,” Scharf explained. “I started off the season on track, had a rough time during the school year, and worked hard to play my best in postseason to be able to achieve my goal. I am also proud of shooting an 82 in the CVC Preseason tournament.”

Scharf shared some of his favorite memories.

“I really enjoyed the fun van rides on the way to matches,” he said. “Everyone was laughing and it was a great time … I also really enjoyed getting to play golf almost every single day since it is such a fun and relaxing sport.”

“In addition, I liked meeting people from other schools; some of them were really funny, and I’m glad I got the chance to play with them and get to know them,” he added.

These two student-athletes also came away from their golf careers with important life lessons.

“I’m really grateful for my time on the team, playing basically every day with my friends was really awesome,” Haynesworth said. “Golf has given me something to enjoy during the return to school every year.”

“I feel like it’s improved my mindset in school,” he added. “In addition to that, I’ve definitely learned how much other golfers cheat. A lot of golfers are not as honest as one would expect, and cheating occurs pretty often. I think this has helped me be more honest.”

Scharf shared a similar sentiment.

“I learned that you need to stay positive even in rough times to succeed,” he said. “If something bad happens, don’t let that stick with you. Move on to the next thing and be positive about it.”

“Golf is a very mental sport, so if you aren’t positive, it’s almost impossible to play well,” he added. “It has taught me to be positive not only in golf but in life. I will remember the great memories we made on the team, such as when we dumped ice water on Drew Schnee because he lost a bet. I will also remember the friends I made on the other teams as well that made playing golf so much fun.”

In addition, the BHS Golf program has greatly improved in various ways, including better communication and scheduling, a rise in work ethic, and a more organized structure during the past few years because of their leadership, and future varsity players now have a precedent to look to because of the hard work of both Haynesworth and Scharf.