When the Charlevoix boys golf team tees off at the Arcadia Bluffs Golf Course later this week, victory or a respectable finish will be the last thing on their minds. In fact, they might not even check the scorecards either. Because a circle or a square on a piece of paper hardly matters when you’ve already won the battle of life and death.

On April 27, 2025, a tragic incident occurred on M-115 in Benzie County near Arcadia Bluffs. As six students from the Charlevoix boys’ golf team and their coach, Doug Drenth, were driving down that road, a criminal suspect rammed his stolen vehicle into the team’s van. The crash hospitalized all of them, forcing a year of rigorous treatment.

After spending the better part of the last 365 days in rehabilitation, Drenth and the six players returned to the field at the Katke Golf Course at Ferris State University in Big Rapids. It wasn’t that they performed exceptionally in the event. But the group had already triumphed before the tournament began because of the journey they had overcome over the last 12 months. Now, the team, for the first time, will be back at Arcadia to play a tournament.

Drenth, who still has limited mobility, told Golfweek, “For me, it’s rewarding to be there and be with the guys. We talked about it at our first meeting, and the emotions that we’ll go through. It’s mixed right now. I just felt so grateful to be back on the course and to be with those guys.”

Along with Drenth, four of the six students who returned to the course were Bryce Boss, Joe Gaffney, Maxwell Drenth, and Landon Whisler. And they all contributed to the first tournament for the Charlevoix boys’ golf team. They were joined by new faces of the squad, Blake Boss and Keane Helstrom.

Gaffney was also quite excited to return to action, as he said, “I thought that we were kind of going in on a high just because we were so excited to be playing. I was reminded of how hard golf is. But I think everyone was just excited to be outside. It was the perfect day and beautiful out.”

After the season-opening scrimmage, the group will head to the Arcadia Bluffs Golf Course this weekend. On April 26 & 27, they will participate in a two-day tournament that will challenge them far more than the Charlevoix scrimmage.

Although it was only a season-opening event, the young golfers were still excited to be playing in an actual tournament. And they displayed it by shooting excellent scores.

The high school golf team delivers promising performances

This wasn’t the first time Joe Gaffney and co. have been in the news since the accident. The high school senior also shared an update on their recovery in December 2025. But now that they are back on the course, they are trying their best to post a great performance.

Bryce Boss was the lowest scorer for the team with a 78. He is followed by Gaffney at 86. Drenth, Whisler, Helstrom, and Boss have registered 88, 95, 98, and 110, respectively. Gaffney’s comeback was more interesting for another reason.

The youngster actually returned to sport, not via golf but via basketball. He underwent a 10-hour surgery, which required more than 70 screws around his pelvis. Tears came streaming down his face when he stood up for the National Anthem before the game. Now he is back to playing golf again.

Overall, the team didn’t post an outstanding score, ending at 347. Their practice sessions consisted of simulator golf and little to no actual manicured greens.  However, they were just excited to be able to play again after the life-threatening incident. With a long season left to play, they are hopeful of making it to the state tournament with consistent performances.