During the fall sports season, the girls’ golf team is among the many teams students can play to represent PHS. This season, the Lady Rams team has only one golfer: senior Alivia Sweet.

Sweet has played golf since the 5th grade, when she began playing as part of the First Tee program at Valley Links. The program teaches kids how to play golf and also instills core life values. She started on the school team the very next year, in 6th grade.

The team composition has changed significantly over the years, from having boys and girls combined in junior high to having separate boys’ and girls’ teams. Her freshman year had a whole team with three other girls. Last season, she played alongside 2025 graduate Avery Crews, but by this year, it had decreased to just her.

“A benefit of being the only Lady Rams golfer is that I get to focus more on my skills while at practice with very few distractions, but I can not win or qualify for a team score because, for a team score, you have to have four players. This does make me strive for improvement, though, because I only qualify for an individual score,” said Sweet.

Even though the numbers on the school team have diminished rapidly since she started, Sweet wanted to continue playing. She has had a great time playing for the school team.

“I’ve made so many connections with people that if I hadn’t played golf, I probably would have never made them,” said Sweet.

Over the years, she has had many coaches who have helped her learn the sport and improve her individual skills. According to her, she has had many great coaches over the years, including Rex Hudelson, Matt Wolfe, Brad Bledsoe, and current coach Summer Hudelson.

But over the years, the coach who has helped her grow the most and been her biggest motivator has been her dad, Adam Sweet. 

“From being my official school coach, watching golf videos to help me learn how to improve my swing, leaving work early just to watch me play, getting me lessons with professionals,  to even attending one of my meets just days after surgery, he is truly my biggest supporter, and I will forever be grateful for him getting me into the sport,” said Sweet.

Sweet’s dream is to play golf on a college team. She is currently looking for a college where she can play golf and study in a digital media program as well. She has been taking steps in high school to make herself look better on college applications.

“I have an app where I put in my golf scores and pictures and videos of me playing that college coaches can look at, then message me for more information if they are interested in me playing for their school team. I’m one of the social media editors at Paoli and hope to do the same thing on a bigger scale for my future job,” said Sweet. 

First-year Coach Summer Hudelson believes that Sweet has done well in her time as a golfer at PHS and will do very well in the next chapter of her life.

“She is great to work with.  She has a positive attitude and works hard every day to improve. She is dedicated to the sport and has the drive to keep improving,” said Hudelson.

Sweet thinks everyone should give golf a shot.

“I think people should play golf because it is one of the few sports that you can play for a lifetime, and to people who say, “Golf is boring!” I tell them that I think golf is boring to watch, too, but it’s so much fun to play, so go out and give it a try,” said Sweet.

This weekend,  Sweet will compete in the golf sectional at Otis Park; her tee-off time is 10 a.m.