Greenwood High School golf coach Tyler Woods is all smiles these days, and for good cause. Woods has returned to the job he held a couple years ago after a stint as an assistant athletic director. He is also a teacher and head coach for the varsity boys soccer team each spring. When former golf coach Ryan Casalman was promoted to head coach of varsity girls basketball, the golf job opened, and Woods was the first choice for Athletic Director Chris Young. But it’s not just the job that was enticing. His 2025 Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs are well-stocked with young talent and experienced senior leadership.
Not only are his two squads poised for successful seasons, but Tyler and wife Jordan, a special ed teacher at the high school, welcomed a new baby boy to their family last month. Little Cooper James also has two older sisters, Emerson and Charli Kate, making a beautiful American family, the likes of which make Greenwood a great place to live. Coach Woods will model those same traditional values for his players along with a helping of hope and optimism.
A week before classes begin on Monday, August 11th, both GHS squads opened their 2025 campaign at Big Creek Country Club in Mountain Home. But the results were mixed, with the GHS ladies faring very well while the GHS boys struggled a bit. The Lady Bulldogs finished second in a field of seven teams and the Bulldogs placed tenth.
The Greenwood boys shot a combined 707 strokes with the Lady Bulldogs at 517 for 36 holes over two days, last Monday and Tuesday. But before making too much of those scores, it’s only the first match of the season on an unfamiliar course against some very tough competition, and players need time to shake off the rust and nerves and younger golfers need to gain varsity experience. Still, what the Lady Bulldogs did was very promising and backs up Coach Woods’ assessment of his lady linksters.
The Harrison boys beat the Mountain Home Bombers, last year’s tournament champs, on their home course. Alma, Russellville, and Shiloh Christian rounded out the top five in boys competition. In girls action it was Mount St. Mary’s, Greenwood, Valley View, Russellville, and Harrison.
It’s also worth remembering that several other teams in the 5A West have excellent golf programs, like the five schools mentioned above. The Bombers, Goblins, Cyclones, Airedales, and Pointers, both boys and girls, have taken turns being prominent or even dominant in recent years at the state level. Also consider that due to its small number of players, golf is a sport that is often dominated by individual performances, and one or two really good players can carry a team a long way.
Greenwood’s next competition will be on Thursday, August 14th against both Alma and Farmington at the River Valley course in Dyer, Arkansas. All three schools are in the 5A West conference, though their matches are not counted as league contests. Other 5A West members include Harrison, Mountain Home, Russellville, Siloam Springs, and Van Buren.
“The crazy thing is that with our schedule in golf, nothing really matters (in the regular season),” said Woods. “We could win every match, and nothing matters until we get to the conference tournament, and then we’re trying to qualify for state.” The top three teams from each conference make the cut, and that’s where the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs want to be at the end of September. Girls state is September 30th at Jonesboro while boys state is a week later, October 7th at Pine Bluff.
But to get a little more familiar with the other conference teams, especially those not on the regular season schedule, the 5A West will play two “conference” matches during the season, inviting every league member to participate. The first such match will be September 3rd at Eagle Crest Country Club in Alma. The second one will be September 18th at the Ben Geren course in Fort Smith.
“It just gives us a chance to see each other and kind of know what our competition is going to be,” Woods explained. “This gives us a chance to see each other a little more often and all in the same venue, so it’s kind of nice. I’m definitely happy to be [coaching] golf,” he added. “I did the assistant athletic director stuff the last couple years, and I enjoyed it. It’s been an aspiration of mind to do that one day, and it’s been a good experience. But I think I’m happier doing golf. I really love it and I love being around these kids and getting to go to these courses. It also gives me a chance to be home more with my newborn son and my two girls. It’s a lot of golf, but it’s over a short span. It really goes quick,” said the coach.
The real conference tournament will be held on the 23rd of September, also at Eagle Crest. Another highlight of the GHS golf schedule is the annual Ryder Cup competition between Greenwood and Fort Smith Southside. After a slow start in last season’s Ryder Cup, Greenwood rallied to win the competition in a one-hole playoff. Everson Adams and Cambree Shrum teamed up on the winning hole. Adams has since graduated while Shrum returns this season as the senior leader for the Lady Bulldogs.
The GHS linksters began organized team practices on July 21st, but all of them play golf year-round on their own, and several take part in many of the youth tournaments held across the region. “What we do is more playing than practice the first two weeks – it’s qualifying. We let them all start scoring over nine holes. We play two days a week at Vache Grasse and two days at Ben Geren. The more rounds they play the more their averages settle down. But now it seems like we have a solid five guys and four girls,” said Woods, adding that the process produced the anticipated results.
“The five that qualified for boys and for the girls too, are what we expected. All four of our senior boys have qualified and one returning junior that qualified,” said the coach. “And on the girls side we had two new [players] – two freshmen – plus a junior and senior that returned. You can tell the kids that are really invested.
Bulldogs
The GHS boys roster boasts 16 names, including four seniors, two juniors, seven sophomores, and three freshmen. The seniors include Dacen Drennan, twin brothers Dean and Cooper Hogeland, and Jacob Gigerich. The juniors are Carson Wade and Bryson Cook. The sophomore class includes Ames Middleton, Tyler Branton, Bentley Harvey, Beau Bartlett, Maddox Blevins, Carter Koch, and Archer Colley. Finally, the freshmen class is populated by a trio of newcomers, including Daniel Lucas, Clay Anzalone, and Cooper Holland. But it’s the senior class that will likely determine the success of the 2025 Bulldogs.
At Mountain Home the quartet of Wade, Drennan, and the Hogeland brothers combined for a 357 on Monday, led by Wade’s 86. On Tuesday the same four improved their aggregate score by seven strokes to 350 to finish at 707, twelve shots behind ninth place Van Buren. Carson Wade fired an 83 on day two followed by Dace Drennan at 85. The Hogeland twins, Cooper and Dean, carded 36-hole scores of 178 and 180, respectively.
Of some concern is the fact that every other 5A West team in the field finished ahead of the Bulldogs, with Harrison (614) winning the tournament, followed by Mountain Home (636), Alma (644), and Russellville (650), with Shiloh Christian (651) fifth and Van Buren in ninth place at 695.
A few days before the tournament, the head coach talked about his Bulldogs, starting with the team’s best scorer, Carson Wade, a junior and the team’s #1 bag, according to Woods. “He’s our #1 guy and he’s literally at Vache Grasse every day, and everybody can attest to that. Obviously, with every sport, what you put in is what you get out, and he puts in a lot. He practices a ton.
“Two other ones who have “the bug” are Cooper (#4 bag) and Dean Hogeland (#3 bag). They are homeschooled kids. Their dad is an art teacher at the high school, and their mom is our booster club president. They come from a great family. Those guys are here (Vache Grasse) a lot. I think being homeschooled helps [with their schedule] so they can get out to the course, especially when the weather is cooler. They’ve been on the team for years, so they have good tournament experience. They’re always playing the junior tour and USA Kids golf tournaments, and they have great support. They are a golf family.
“These are our average [practice] scores [so far],” shared the coach. “Our one-bag Carson Wade is at 39. Senior Jake Gigerich is a baseball kid, but he’s a good golfer. His dad is going to be a volunteer coach for us. His score is 41.86. Dean Hogeland is at 42.43 with his brother Cooper at 43.29. Dace Drennan has been on the team for a long time, and his average is 43.57.
“After Carson’s 39, two through five are pretty close, so we have five solid golfers to go to Mountain Home,” said the Coach. Based on those pre-season averages, all five GHS linksters underperformed at Big Creek, so there is definitely room for improvement as the season progresses. Sophomore Carter Koch also had some good pre-season rounds. “He’s another up-and-coming kid who can be a really good golfer once he gets a little more experience,” said Woods.
“A couple others who are close are Ames Middleton and Brycen Cook,” added the coach. Middleton is a sophomore with a 46 average while Cook is a junior who scored 48 on average during pre-season practice. Clay Anzalone is a freshman who averages 47.33. Beau Barlett lives close to the course and is a baseball guy and he’s averaged 48.71. All other players on the squad are averaging 50 strokes or above on nine holes.
“It’s a big group,” said Woods. “I probably need to cut it down to 12 or 14 next year, and we will after losing our four seniors.” Greenwood has a couple junior varsity matches scheduled as well, though all GHS players will play during home matches at Vache Grasse. Woods also said that his players will requalify every couple of weeks, allowing for movement within the ranks during the season.
As for his expectations within the conference this season, Woods said, “I think Harrison and Mountain Home seem to be the top teams. Harrison has two brothers who shoot in the 60s and are definitely going to be college golfers. But I feel like we’re going to compete for the third spot with Russellville, Alma, and possibly Van Buren.
Lady Bulldogs
The GHS ladies are a small group – only five girls, with just two seniors – but it’s a group with a lot of potential, according to Woods. Seniors Cambree Shrum and Addie Dugan return from last season, joined by junior returnee Addison Phonepradith, along with talented freshmen, Ellery Hogeland and Payton Crowe. Hogeland is the younger sister of brothers Dean and Cooper, all good golfers.
The freshman was the clubhouse leader for the GHS girls during both days of competition, a remarkable feat given her tender years. She carded an 84 on Monday then improved to 82 on Tuesday for a two-day total of 166 to finish sixth overall individually in the tournament, just 19 strokes off the leader.
But it wasn’t just Hogeland that carried the Lady Bulldogs. Teammates Payton Crowe (172) and Cambree Shrum (179) finished seventh and ninth overall in the final standings. Addison Phonepradith was fourth for Greenwood with a tournament total of 216 for 21st place, though only the top three scores count in the team total. Greenwood finished behind Mt. Saint Mary’s but well ahead of Russellville (590), Harrison (604), Mountain Home 647), and Van Buren (682) that placed fourth through seventh, respectively.
Based on their performance at Mountain Home and their pre-season averages, it could be that ninth-graders Ellery Hogeland and Payton Crowe are the top players for the GHS ladies this season, despite their youth. Senior Cambree Shrum is playing her best golf as a high schooler and will be a reliable force for Greenwood, giving Coach Woods a solid threesome.
“We have three that return from last year and two that played some varsity,” said the Coach. “Cambree Shrum is a senior who was a freshman when I was last coaching golf, and she’s a good player. She’s more consistent, plus she works at [Vache Grasse], so that helps. She’s here a lot and she’s practicing a lot. She’s more sure of herself and she’s disappointed when she doesn’t play well. She can shoot in the high 70s or she can shoot in the 90s, but her two-week pre-season average (nine holes) is 41.57.
“But she’s going to be a leader for us. It seems like the other girls look up to her. She does the right thing and helps out,” said the coach. “Our other senior who is probably going to be in our #5 spot is Addie Dugan. She’s been on the team a couple years and played for Coach Casalman. She could compete for our fourth bag this year.”
The team’s lone junior is Addison Phonepradith, returning from last season. “She still has some work to do, averaging 56.86, but she will be our four bag. Then we have two freshmen, Ellery Hogeland and Payton Crowe, and those two already have the bug. They’ve played competitive tournaments and USA Kids golf growing up. Ellery comes from a golf family and has qualified to play at the Trump national course in Miami, Florida. She usually shoots in the low to mid-80s. She won’t wow you with any shots, but she’ll play nice and steady in the fairway and on the green. She’s awesome. I wish I had more like her.
“Payton is our other freshman, and she plays competitive golf too,” continued Woods. “Her dad bought a simulator and put it in their garage. They are invested and know how good she is. I think she plays softball too, and that helps. I also think competition will develop between our two freshmen, and even with Cambree. Any one of them can beat the other two on any day. It’s nice to have three solid golfers.
“Most high school girls are averaging around 95 to 105. But these two freshmen are averaging around 85 right now. They aren’t too emotional, and that’s good, because emotion is not good in golf. When Cambree was a freshman, she was shooting in the 100s, but these two girls are shooting in the 80s. If they can get to the 70s by the time they are junior or seniors, they are definitely going [places].
“They remind me of Hallie Jones and Grace Woody,” said the coach, referencing Lady Bulldogs stars of the recent past who went on to play college golf. “They have positive attitudes, and they work hard. It’s great to have freshmen who are ready to compete right away.”
In Conclusion
Summing up the coming season for the GHS golf teams, the Lady Bulldogs have a chance to be very good, and the Bulldogs have the experience to remain competitive throughout the season but may need a bit of luck to reach state. “This group of girls is going to be in the top five in the state and have a chance to compete for the whole thing,” predicted Woods, while giving due credit to 5A West favorite Russellville [or Mount St. Mary’s or Greene County Tech] from elsewhere in the state. “You just never know,” he said. “You never know what can happen.”
As for the GHS boys, senior leadership and steady play will be key this season. The Bulldogs will have to play very well in the conference tournament to make the top three cut for state but have the talent and experience needed if they improve during the season and have a good rounds come tournament time. So, go Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs! Have a great season!