Demopolis High’s Reid to play golf at Faulkner University
Demopolis High senior Anna Reid is set to continue her golf career at Faulkner University after signing with the school Friday. Reid becomes the first female in the history of DHS to sign a golf scholarship offer.
“It really feels great. I get to go play college golf and do what I love while getting school paid for,” Reid, who has played against boys for much of her high school career, said. “I played against girls in summer tournaments and in sub-state, so it won’t be that big of a difference. I’ll be happy to be on a team with a lot of girls.”
Reid’s decision to attend Faulkner was all but set after she took a visit to the Montgomery-based private school earlier this semester.
“That was probably the best parent-child visit to a school that’s ever on record. We went in there, met with administration and they were going to give us a tour and we had to stop and go to chapel. The whole student body was there. They had a guy that was delivering a message to the student body and they had an acapella group called Cornerstone that was doing a performance. In the middle of it, they turned the spotlight on my daughter and she stood up and the whole student body cheered for her. That was just an incredible experience,” her father, Charlie Reid, said. “It was kind of a foregone conclusion that we were going there no matter what the offers were because she fell in love with the school. But we still went and visited William Carey, Louisiana-Monroe and UWA. She got offers from all those, but she made her mind up after that first day.”
Anna played softball into middle school but ultimately moved toward golf in part because of her family’s affiliation with the sport.
“My family played a lot and I just kind of got into it and the guys at my church played,” Reid said of the decision that ultimately led her to the collegiate opportunity she is ready to receive.
“The first informal offer she got, we went over to Faulkner and (Faulkner women’s golf coach Travis) Lauterbach mentioned that he was going to make some kind of offer. I nearly broke down in front of him thinking about the long, hard work she has put in. She has been out there until dark chipping and putting by herself over the years. I’ve watched her get better and better. I thought about the time (Demopolis golf coach Greg) Ryan has put in with her. He has been working with her on the side and about all he gets out of it is a free meal,” Charlie said. “It was real emotional when the formal offers started coming in. It was just rewarding. You feel a real sense of accomplishment when you watch somebody do it the right way and it pays off. And she absolutely did it the right way.”
Ryan is hopeful the signing will spark interest among other Demopolis girls to take up the sport.
“It’s great, especially for a female it’s really great. Hopefully this will inspire other girls to get involved with the sport,” Ryan said.
The strength of Reid’s game, as Ryan sees it, comes in her conceptualization of the course and her decision making.
“Getting around the course, management,” Ryan said of what makes Reid special on the course. “That’s more the mental game. She’s very strong about the shot she needs to play and imagining how the shot needs to finish. She’s very good about doing that.”
Reid first came to the attention of Lauterbach when her name was brought to the coaching staff by current Faulkner freshman golfer Hannah Sager.
“She came for a visit. I originally heard of her from Hannah (Sager) and then she came for a visit. We had a few girls out there playing with her. We only saw her for nine holds, but we had been following her through some other scores and calling some teachers and other references and asking about her off the golf course as well,” Lauterbach said. “That’s the part that we’re most excited about is that not only is she a good golfer, but off the golf course I think she’s going to be a great fit for Faulkner.”
Reid is the first member of the Demopolis Class of 2016 to accept an athletic scholarship.