E/K-M's Joe Kramlich heading to state tournament with big goals
May 31—EDGELEY, N.D. — The only golfer to make it to this year's 2023 NDHSAA Boys' Golf State Tournament from Edgeley/Kulm-Montpelier is junior Joe Kramlich, who is making his third consecutive trip to the state meet.
"Obviously, he's a really good player, he's a good team leader," Edgeley/Kulm-Montpelier head coach Rory Entzi said. "He's always practicing, trying to get better, so that's what it's about. It's kind of like any sport, those that stay after, come out after practice, golf on the weekends, play more than just practice, those are the kind of kids you want to lead the rest, get the itch. Joe puts quite a bit of time in and he's had a really good season so far."
He qualified on May 8, with a score of 73. That's not his lowest score of the season though as he also shot a 65. In order to get a score of 7-under-par 65, Kramlich said it was a perfect day for him.
"I've spent a lot of time at the course, practicing my short game with my dad to help get lower scores," Kramlich said.
Kramlich said his best skill on the course is his driving. His longest drive is 320 yards.
Kramlich said his favorite part of playing golf is "shooting low scores."
Entzi said the best parts of Kramlich's game are his putting and his ability to hit the ball.
Every year on his birthday, July 21, Kramlich and his father, Aaron, go to the Kulm Golf Course and play nine holes.
Aaron Kramlich said one of his son's first clubs were 2-foot-long homemade clubs. On his second birthday, Joe shot 231 and last year on his birthday, he shot a 32.
"I told my wife, I said, 'I'm gonna play a round with him and keep score.' It took us three days because after running two holes, he hit it a little ways and take off running and hit it again and I was driving, keeping track of every shot he took, he got tired after a few holes," Aaron said. "So, at 2 years old, it took him a couple days to get all the way around but I kept score the whole way and I kept doing it. I have every score, we call it his birthday round and keep score and he's never gone backwards so far."
After Edgeley Public School got out for the summer on May 19, Joe said he has been mowing at the Kulm Golf Course and practicing golf.
Aaron said the father-and-son duo play the sport together as much as humanly possible. Aaron is an assistant on the E/K-M boys' golf team, which Joe said helps him tremendously.
"It's pretty nice, he understands my game so he can help tell me where to play and what's the better play," Joe said.
Entzi said the biggest area of growth he has seen from Joe is his maturity and his ability to forget bad holes and move on to the good ones. Joe gives his father credit for instilling the need for a positive head space when he's out on the course.
"The one thing about golf is you have to be pretty level-headed because it doesn't always go right and it's kind of how you handle the hole you didn't quite do as well as you wanted to and not let that derail you from the rest of the round, move on from it," Entzi said. "I think in the pros they call it bounce back, I don't know what they call it in a high school kid."
As Kramlich prepares to take part in the state tournament on Tuesday, June 6, Joe said he has to hit the ball down the fairway and keep himself out of bad positions to have success.
"I'll be working hard for that, be really focused and go out and play the best golf I can," Joe said.
