Displaying a working mentality, Maddie Childs excels as Mitchell girls' top golfer

MITCHELL — Maddie Childs’ foray into the game of golf started because of her shoes.

First picking up a golf club at around age 5, Childs began taking lessons but admitted she didn’t like the game, wanting to instead focus on buying the latest pair of shoes to add to a growing collection. Using her love of shoes and footwear, her parents cut Childs a deal by the time her fifth-grade year rolled around.

“I was obsessed with shoes,” Childs said. “Until I started playing competitively, I didn’t really like golf that much until my parents said that they would buy me some golf shoes if I started golfing more. That’s how I started playing a lot and became the golfer I am today.”

For Mitchell High School today, Childs is one of the top girls golfers in Class AA. In six competitive rounds, Childs, a junior, has an average score of 76.17, which is the fifth-best in the class.

So far, Childs has won twice this season, once at the Warrior Invitational and at the Yankton Golf Quadrangular, firing the third-lowest score in the state this season with a 70 at the Sioux Falls tournament. She’s been a main contributor towards all three of the Kernels’ team titles in 2025, along with their successful defense of the Marchand Cup team competition against Yankton.

All of the success, off of a sophomore campaign which saw her win the individual Eastern South Dakota Conference championship and make the all-tournament team following a third-place result at state last season, comes from the working attitude Childs displays each time around the golf course.

“Maddie is very even-keeled, which I always stress to all the girls that if you have a bad hole, it's not the end of the world,” Kernels head coach Brian Eliason said. “Everybody gets mad when they hit a bad shot, but you have to get over that quickly so you can start focusing on the next shot, and Maddie's really good at that.”

Keeping a calm demeanor while moving from one shot to the next is all part of Childs’ goal when trying to card the best score possible, and making the most of the next opportunity, even if it’s to get out of trouble.

“Doing the best that you can is just always what I do because sometimes when you get down on yourself, that's when things go wrong,” Childs said. “It's another tournament not only for me, but for the team, and just staying calm and trusting myself because it's always a new experience.”

Mitchell's Maddie Childs steps up to her ball and prepares to hit her second shot on the par-5 No. 10 hole during the Marchand Cup girls golf dual on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at Lakeview Golf Course.

Blake Durham / Mitchell Republic

Childs, in similar vein to the other Kernel golfers, is strong off the tee with the driver in her hands, regularly getting around 250 yards of distance on her driver or longer.

Lauded for her accuracy off the tee, much of the conversations between Childs and Eliason this season during a competitive round are about attacking the course. Eliason encourages her to take a more aggressive line at times, knowing the advantage the extra yards can have on a round.

“I tend to have the girls play somewhat conservative and play smart, put it into play,” Eliason said, “But her driver is so accurate that if you tell her to aim at that tree and hit over it, she'll do it. I've been kind of encouraging her to play aggressively because of that.”

Another adjustment has come from her position on the Kernels depth chart, moving into the No. 1 position following former teammate Allison Meyerink’s graduation last season and being paired with each team’s top golfers at a meet, such as Aberdeen Central's Olivia Braun, Watertown’s Gabi Olson or Pierre’s Hadley Hart.

While playing in the top groups brings a bit of pressure, Childs said being paired with the top golfers only motivates her to push forward.

“It drives me to play my best and we all know where we are during the round,” Childs said, “And knowing that just kind of lights a fire in me and wants me to keep going and beat them. It’s fun for me to play against them because it's a lot more competitive and to battle it out.”

Always looking to gain an edge and strokes on her competitors, Childs devotes most of her practice time to the short game, working on pitch shots, flop shots, chipping and putting. She’ll sometimes stay late after practice and will focus on making short-range putts multiple times to build confidence in her stroke.

Dubbed as a “workhorse” by Eliason regarding the amount of time spent working on her game, Childs has also increased her confidence stepping into the team leader role she once looked up to as a seventh grader when Masy Mock was in her position, providing positive reinforcement and reminding everyone else that each day is different.

“I just want to be the best role model I can,” Childs said. “I always tell my other teammates every tournament is a new day and just go into it and play your best. If things happen, they happen and bounce back when you can because sometimes you can get strokes and sometimes you can lose them.”

Mitchell teammates Maddie Childs (left) and Mia Larson work together when reading the par-5 No. 10 green during the Marchand Cup girls golf dual on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at Lakeview Golf Course.

Blake Durham / Mitchell Republic

Although she has a whole season remaining donning the Kernel colors, Childs announced her commitment to Augustana University to play collegiate golf back in January. Upon visiting the campus and meeting with the girls golf team — which includes her mentor Masy Mock as a Viking senior this year — Childs knew Augustana was going to be the place for her to continue playing golf while also focusing on her academics.

“They have a culture that really values their student athletes,” Childs said. “They were just super inviting and kind people that value golf, but also value friendships. I'm super excited to be a Viking.”

Until then, the focus turns to Mitchell’s final meets before the Class AA state championship. The Eastern South Dakota Conference tournament is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27, in Brandon, with the state tournament beginning on Monday, June 3, in Sioux Falls.

At this point of the year, much of the Kernels’ attention in practice has been mentally preparing for tournaments and being able to possess strong on-course management, with the group knowing their capabilities both as individuals and as a team.

“Their technique is certainly good enough to win the state championship,” Eliason said. “It's a matter of if everybody can be clicking at the same time with their game, their emotions and making sure everybody is ready to play. It's a matter of putting a round together, shooting a score and not letting things go off the rails.”

Childs knows there’s still a lot of golf to be played for her down the line, whether it’ll be a collegiate tournament or a South Dakota Golf Association-sponsored event, while getting to know those alongside or there for support.

“I really like getting to know people and having that competitive drive,” Childs said. “Whether that's past coaches, my coach saying after practice or my support from my teammates, I definitely wouldn't be where I am without them. I just appreciate it all.”