By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Allison Hering’s steady progression as a golfer took her to the highest level in New Jersey.
“She really took to the sport and when Allison does something she is not 50 percent it is 150 percent,” Montgomery High girls golf coach Jen Jones said. “She is an all-in type of person and when she decided she wanted to be as good as she could be as a golfer she put in the time and effort to be the best she could be.
“Allison went from shooting 102 in the states as a freshman to 71 this year as a senior. It’s incredible to see how much she has improved.”
After making the switch from softball to golf as she entered high school, Hering was part of a successful Montgomery program for four years. She capped off her career with her strongest showing when she shot a 71 in her final high school match — the Tournament of Champions at Cherry Valley Country Club.
“I was really happy with the way everything came together,” Hering said. “I was so excited with the way I played this year, especially toward the end of the season. New Jersey is well known for having really good golfers. So to play as well as I did and place where I did in my last tournament was definitely a testament to my hard work and determination.”
Hering’s 1-under par 71 at the TOC was just one shot off the lead. It was the perfect way to end a high school career that took her from novice to a place among the best golfers in the state.
Allison Hering is the Princeton Packet Girls Golfer of the Year.
“Originally my main sport was softball,” Hering said. “I was a fast-pitch softball pitcher. When I got to high school I saw more opportunities and different sports to choose from. I sort of played golf because my parents liked to play. I thought it would be good opportunity to join the golf team and become better. The first year I played I was hooked. It helped to have Alice Chen on the team. She was a great role model and I learned so much from her.”
Hering learned her lessons well and finished her career with an impressive senior season. She averaged 36.3 per round for the season and finished fourth at the Somerset County Tournament and fourth at the Skyland Conference Tournament. She shot an 82 to finish ninth at the South Jersey sectional tournament before shooting her 71 at the Tournament of Champions.
“If she could have played it over again, I think that was the way she would have wanted it to end,” Jones said. “She has been to states before and she always fell a little short of her expectations because she sets the bar so high for herself. She met and exceeded her goals for herself this time. She was 2-under going into the ninth hole and then just maintained it from there. She only dropped one stroke to keep herself at 1-under, which was her all-time best score. What a good way to end your career with your best round.”
Hering made the decision after her freshman year to go all-in on golf. She worked with a private coach and just continued to improve.
“My freshman year I had struggled a little,” Hering said. “I had been with one coach for part of the year and we didn’t communicate well together. He was at a level I wasn’t quite at yet. I got a new coach and immediately we just clicked. He helped me so much and understood me. We worked real well together. Th things we have worked on solidified my game.
“In February I went down and spent some time with him in Florida to get ready for the season. We knew we had to work on things to get to the next level. It helped me to go down there and work on things and then when I came back it was back to business to get ready for the season.”
Hering, who will head to the University of Tennessee to play next year, had a great role model in Chen. This year it was Hering that was the role model for the younger Cougar players.
“She was always behind someone like Alice,” Jones said. “In one way that was an incredibly good experience to play with Alice because it showed her the way and left her to be the leader. Last year she was a co-captain with Alice and this year was Allison’s year to be the leader.
“She tried to mold Rosey (Li, a sophomore) and some of the other younger players. Allison cares just as much about leaving the program in a positive way as she does her own personal performance. She really cares about the program and the sport of golf.”
While they didn’t have the same type of championship season as the past few years, the Cougars had a solid year as a program and look to keep the sport moving forward at Montgomery.
“We didn’t have any juniors this year,” Hering said. “We had a lot of freshmen and sophomores so we knew it would be a little bit of a rebuilding year. I wanted to get the girls to love the sport like I do. I think they started to see it could be a lot of fun, especially toward the end of the year.
“Being part of the team was such a great experience. I met a lot of great girls. My coach has been so supportive and wanted me to be successful and accomplish my goals. When I see my progress from freshman to senior it has been unbelievable. I’ve tried to enjoy every moment and enjoy the last few years. I still have left my last few junior tournaments and then I get ready for the amateur and collegiate world.”
Hering leaves Montgomery hoping she left a mark on the program that others will follow.
“We’re going to need some freshmen coming into the team next year,” Jones said. “We’ve shrunken a little with the size of the team. We only had a few freshmen and sophomores so we’re looking to our freshmen class to bring in some golfers at any level. We need people who want to play golf and help grow the game.
“Allison will tell you her scores consistently dropped once she made the decision to really focus on golf and work hard to improve. She set a great example for our younger players and hopefully that will carry over into the future for us.”
