As spring begins, the boys on the Manasquan High School (MHS) Varsity Golf Team prepare for the competitive season ahead; one player amongst them stands out. A sophomore from Manasquan, Ryleigh Luethold is the only girl on the once all-boys golf team.
Luethold’s passion for golf began long before she broke the gender norms of the MHS golf team.
“I’ve been playing golf since I could walk,” Luethold said. “I’ve been playing in a Junior Professional Golfers’ Association league since I was little.”
Ryleigh’s father Robert Luethold inspired her passion for golf from a young age.
“My father is a really big inspiration to me,” Luethold said. “He’s a hard worker on and off the golf course, I am fortunate enough to have inherited that determination from him.”
Ryleigh and her father often spend their weekends playing together at Deal Golf and Country Club, where they have been members for 14 years. Recently, Ryleigh was named the Women’s Club Champion.
“Being able to have someone to push you to be your best is great, but I got even luckier by having that person be my dad.”
With her prodigious ability and intense drive, Luethold is a tough competitor, yet a great teammate. Last year Luethold decided to take her skill outside of the club and try out for the Manasquan boys’ team.
“I tried out just like everybody else,” she said. “There were around forty boys there, and I shot a 45 which was one of my best scores.”
Despite liking the team she is on now, Luethold still sometimes wishes for a girl’s team. While being able to play to the skill set the boys possess is one thing, being able to connect to them is another.
“The girls’ club is not a team yet, so in order to play in matches, I would have to be on the boys’ team,” Luethold said. “I really wish there was a girls’ team, but I’m grateful to be on the boys’ golf team since it lets me do what I love.”
What Luethold feels makes the team better is the support she has from her coaches and family.
“My coach Chip Sweeney is a really great person, he does everything he can to keep me involved since I go to CHS.”
This year, Luethold’s younger brother Brendan Luethold also made the Boys’ Varsity team.
“Last year, I didn’t have too many people on the team to get close with. But, this year with my brother on [the team], it gives me someone,” she said. “I play some of my best golf when I’m with him.”
Ryleigh wishes to continue to pursue this passion after high school.
“I definitely see a future in golf, I would love to do it in and after college,” Luethold said.
Despite the struggles Ryleigh faces–mentally and physically–from a long season of golf, she still enjoys it just as much as she had since she first began playing. Competing at a varsity level in golf is a privilege Luethold realizes many female players get denied, so she is thankful for the opportunity she’s been given.
“Honestly, it’s not easy, it takes a lot of mental willpower, being the only girl on the team, but at the end of the day it’s what lets me do what I love today and that makes it all worth it.”
