Ellie Beavins had never played a round of competitive golf without her father, Joel, there to watch. The first time she had to do so — the opening leg of the Johnson County Junior Tournament Series at The Legends — she wasn’t ready for it, and she shot a 92.
Just going out to the course at all by herself was a difficult undertaking at first, but Ellie decided to take the negative energy she was feeling and harness it in a different way.
"I kind of took all my dad’s grief and turned it into a positive thing," Beavins said. "I was like, ‘You’re just going to do this for him; he’s so proud of you for even just getting out on the golf course again and doing all these amazing things that you’re doing.’
"After I started thinking that way, it really wasn’t even that hard."
Beavins had no shortage of amazing moments during her senior season at Franklin, which ends with her being named as the Daily Journal’s Player of the Year.
After finding her stride during a summer that saw her win the Indiana Junior Golf Championship and the IGA Age Group Championship, Beavins was able to keep the momentum going throughout the high school season. She saved her best for the biggest moments, earning medalist honors at the Mid-State Conference tournament and at the Franklin Sectional before tying for third overall at the loaded Roncalli Regional to earn a trip to the state finals.
Franklin co-coach Ted Bishop cited Beavins’ mental toughness as a primary factor in her being able to play so well in those tournaments.
"No one had better nerves in the biggest events than Beavins did," he said. "She’s just got that unique mindset that a lot of players don’t have."
That emotional strength has been built up over several years as Beavins has worked through not only the unexpected death of her father last fall, but also dealing with chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis, a rare bone disorder that causes pain due to inflammation in the bones.
Despite all of the adversity that she’s faced, Ellie has absolutely remained her father’s daughter, taking a glass-half-full view of the world no matter what the circumstances.
"She very much looks at the positive side of life," Jill Beavins, Ellie’s mother, said during the summer. "She is the happiest, most joyful kid you will ever meet. Despite everything, she just doesn’t spend any time ever in any kind of negative emotion."
Beavins decided before the state finals, just as she had prior to every other big tournament throughout the season, to try tuning all of her feelings out and focusing on the round at hand.
"I don’t think he would want to see me crying in the middle of my round," she said of her father.
As she finished up the final hole of her high school career, though, Beavins couldn’t help it.
"Walking up onto the 18th green my second day, it kind of all hit me and I started crying," she said. "But it’s my senior year — what else are you going to do?"
Next fall, Beavins will continue her golf career at Taylor University. College life always presents young people with challenges in the form of forced independence and learning to do things without parents around to guide the way all the time, but Franklin co-coach Crystal Morse believes that Beavins got a head start on that part of the maturation process this year by having to take more initiative on the golf course.
"She just kind of found herself through the whole process," Morse said. "She had to get used to, obviously, her dad not being there for her — and her mom not used to really taking that role. She really took the responsibility of working on her golf game, and kind of realizing what she needed to do and becoming self-motivated to do that. I just feel like she was really finding her independence."
"My mom, she’s done a ton for me this season, but she doesn’t understand golf the way that I do," Beavins said. "I think I just told myself that I’m getting ready for my future and my next life; ‘You’ve got to start learning how to do these things by yourself,’ and I kind of did."
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The 2020 All-County team for girls golf:
<strong>Ellie Beavins, Franklin senior:</strong> The heart and soul of a Franklin team that was in the state’s top 10 all year … Conference and sectional medalist with rounds of 73 … Tied for 35th as an individual at state finals.
<strong>Lanie DeHaven, Center Grove junior:</strong> Helped lead Trojans back to state finals for first time since 2015 … Had the team’s low round at MIC tournament with a 73 and placed third at county with a 74.
<strong>Meg Fosnot, Center Grove senior:</strong> Two-time state qualifier held down the No. 1 spot for the county and sectional champions … Earned medalist honors at county tournament with a 72.
<strong>Maura Guilfoy, Greenwood junior:</strong> Saved her best play for the postseason, advancing to the state finals as an individual and tying for 61st … Earned all-conference honors at Mid-State tournament.
<strong>Liv Parramore, Franklin senior:</strong> Grizzly Cubs’ No. 2 was the individual runner-up at county with a 73 and an all-conference pick … Helped keep Franklin ranked among the top 10 in the state all season.
<strong>Sage Parsetich, Center Grove sophomore:</strong> One of six different Trojans to medal during the season … Was the team’s top individual finisher at the state finals, tying for 40th overall.
<strong>Ava Ray, Franklin junior:</strong> Ended the year as the top local finisher at state, tying for 32nd … Shot in the 70s in every other major event, including 75 at sectional and 76 at regional.
<strong>Camille Short, Center Grove freshman:</strong> A consistent contributor as a rookie, posting the Trojans’ low round at sectional (77) and firing 78s in the conference and regional tournaments.
<span style="text-decoration: underline">Honorable mention</span>
Morgan Calhoun, Edinburgh; Chloe Cooper, Whiteland; Hannah Emenhiser, Indian Creek; Annelise Lollar, Edinburgh; Abby Rich, Center Grove; Tara Watson, Whiteland; Ashtyn Witte, GCA
