CHARLEVOIX — There was a point during the 2025 golf season where Bryce Boss and the rest of his Charlevoix teammates really didn’t know what the future held.
To say the season hung in the balance following a late April tragic accident that left much of the team and their coach hospitalized is an understatement.
“I was definitely worried about not being able to play again when it happened,” Boss, a junior in the Rayder program said.
Now, Boss and two other teammates involved in that crash aren’t just back out on the course, they’re thriving in the sport and bringing some normalcy back to their lives.
Boss recently captured a Northern Shores Conference title with a round of 67 at Harbor Point Golf Club in Harbor Springs, while teammates Jackson Crouse and Landon Whisler have consistently hit atop the lineup for the Rayders.
“It’s been nice to be back out here again,” Crouse said. “As soon as it happened, I wanted to get back out here and play.”
Boss has shown it, too.
That 67 fired in Harbor Springs came five strokes better than the next placing golfer, a round that included five birdies and only one bogey late last week.
“It felt great,” he said. “My driver was doing great and my wedges were too. I was just putting myself in places to hit wedges thanks to my driver, so it all kind of worked out.”
The Rayders have played four rounds now since that tragic accident on April 27 following a two-day tournament at Arcadia Bluffs, with Boss carding two other sub 80 rounds.
While it’s good to have the normalcy they craved for their spring season back, there are still some reminders of the accident and times when focus shifts.
“Not while I’m playing, but there have definitely been times when it’s all I can think about,” Boss said.
It’s hard not to still have the mind go there, especially when the wounds are still visible. Charlevoix athletes Emmett Bergmann, Max Drenth, Joe Gaffney and Brady Warchol remain away from athletics, with some still on a long recovery road ahead, like their head coach, Doug Drenth.
On Monday, the Rayders took to Belvedere Golf Club in Charlevoix in the annual Jim Glynn Invitational, a favorite of Charlevoix golfers over the years.
Those who couldn’t play still came to cheer on their teammates, like Bergmann, who rode around with Rayder graduate and former teammate, Hudson Vollmer.
“It was really cool to see all of them out here,” Crouse said of his teammates. “I think I talked with every single one of them that were out here today and that was cool and kept me going through the round.”
While they might have been the ones being cheered on and followed, Boss and his other teammates are playing for those who can’t right now.
“It feels great to be back out, but honestly, it feels good to play for my friends too, especially one of my best friends, Joe Gaffney,” Boss said. “It’s been great to at least try and do it for them, if nothing else.”
In a steady wind and 49 degrees when play wrapped Monday afternoon, Boss finished the round with an 81, a stroke behind Crouse’s 80. Whisler then added an 85, followed by Doug Morgridge’s 95, a 99 from Keane Helstrom and a 104 from Ryan Glass to bring Charlevoix to its 341.
Charlevoix’s season-best round came during the conference match at Harbor Point with a 321, then they also shot 340 at Belvedere in a previous recent round.
While they’ll play Boyne Mountain next ahead, they’ll return home to Belvedere on Wednesday, May 28 for a Division 3 regional match.
Having three rounds on their home course over the last month is great for Crouse and the rest of the Rayders, as they keep travel to a minimal ahead of what they hope is another trip down state to come.
“It’s been really nice,” Crouse said. “It’s a great course and I work here and it’s the course I play all summer, so that’s nice. It’s great because we’re supposed to get Emmett back soon too. Hopefully we can make a run at regionals and get to states.”
And if they do make it through, Boss knows it’ll be a total team effort, those that can’t play or walk the course included.
“I know that we really want to make it to states for coach and the other guys that can’t make it,” Boss added. “That’s our goal, make it there for them.”
Monday’s other results
Teams
1. Traverse City St. Francis, 299; 2. Tawas Area, 305; 3. Charlevoix, 341; 4. Elk Rapids, 343; 5. Grayling, 347; 6. Boyne City, 350; 7. Harbor Springs, 357; 8. Cheboygan, 363; 9. Kalkaska, 404.
Individuals
1. Ben Wolff, TC St. Francis, 72; 2. Blake Springstead, Elk Rapids, 73.
14. Connor Uy, Boyne City; 81; 14. Chase Lafaive, Harbor Springs, 81; 18. Mason Vadnais, Boyne City, 84; 21. Vaughn Henagan, Harbor Light Christian, 87; 25. Jacob Pluszczynski, Cheboygan, 88; 27. Vincent Alonzi, Harbor Springs, 89.
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Charlevoix golfers finding success after tragic accident weeks before