At Red Oak Community School District, the girls golf program wasn’t just struggling - it had nearly vanished.
Nine years ago, only two players remained. There hadn’t been a full competitive team since 2003. What was once a school sport had quietly faded into memory, leaving behind a gap not just in athletics, but in opportunity.
That’s when head coach Patty Henke began rebuilding - not with a roster full of athletes or a pipeline of experienced players, but with a simple idea: give every student a chance to try the game before asking them to commit.
Coach Henke rebuilt the program from the ground up with an approach that challenged one of golf’s biggest barriers: accessibility. Her message to students was clear and welcoming: “No clubs? No problem. No experience? No problem. Just show up and give it a try.”
She introduced a one-week, no-pressure trial period - an open invitation for any student to step onto the course without expectations or cost. If they didn’t like it, they could walk away. No questions asked.
That philosophy changed everything.
What started as an experiment in access and inclusion quickly became a cultural shift. Students who might never have considered golf found a place to belong. Confidence grew. Interest spread.
And slowly, the program came back to life.
The results speak for themselves. In less than a decade, Red Oak’s girls golf team transformed from a program on the brink of extinction into one of the most competitive in the state - earning a 7th-place finish at the 2026 Iowa State Tournament.
But the success goes far beyond trophies.
It’s measured in:
The impact of this program didn’t stop at Red Oak. As participation challenges continued in nearby communities, the Stanton Community School District made the difficult decision to dissolve its own golf program. Instead of letting opportunities disappear, they partnered with Red Oak.
Now, Coach Henke leads a combined team serving student-athletes from two different towns, expanding access while also increasing the demand for resources.
Growth brings new challenges. With more players and a broader reach, the need for equipment has become a central issue. Many students enter the program without access to clubs, one of the very barriers Coach Henke set out to eliminate.
With Drive Fore The Future's support, the team received five complete sets of women’s golf clubs, helping ensure that cost doesn’t stand in the way of participation. But as the program continues to grow, so does the need.
Red Oak Girls Golf represents something bigger than a successful team.
It’s a model for how to:
Most importantly, it proves that when access comes first, success follows.
Programs like Red Oak don’t just need recognition, they need support to keep momentum going.
With additional resources, this team can:
From two players to the state tournament, this is more than a comeback story. It’s a blueprint for growing the game, one student at a time.
