Peninsula golfer Bass signs with Grand Canyon women’s golf program

During the NCAA’s early period non-football signing period, which began Wednesday, Nov. 11, Kailey Bass spent her afternoon alongside friends and family at a Gig Harbor restaurant to sign her National Letter of Intent.

In what would typically be an event put on by Peninsula high school for verbally-committed student athletes, Bass made her collegiate plans official, and inked her name onto the Grand Canyon University golf roster.

“My dream has always been to go to a big Division-I school,” Bass said. “I also liked that Grand Canyon is a private Christian school as well, but they still have a bunch of students. It’s a brand new campus, I love my coaches, and I love Arizona as well. I couldn’t find any other school that fit better than that.”

Though the reigning South Sound Conference MVP has yet to compete in high school golf since the opening match of the 2020 season, Bass maintained a busy summer golf schedule, including a second place finish district at the WJGA District Championship.

At the Washington Women’s Amateur in Bremerton, Bass posted a 75-72-75 to finish sixth, as her father and Peninsula golf coach Hunter Bass carried the sticks at caddie.

Since the age of three, Kailey tagged along with her father and older sister, Riley, on trips to the driving range at Canterwood Golf & Country Club. The Bass sisters were teammates at Peninsula, and opponents at the state tournament in 2017. Riley played a year of college golf at the University of North Dakota, and now Kailey has a home in college golf as a member of Grand Canyon.

Kailey’s future team sports a recently-renovated locker room and clubhouse, along with a private course and practice facilities. But Bass connected most with her coaches, mainly via zoom meetings, which has become an all too familiar rendezvous as in-person meetings and events have been shuttered amidst a pandemic.

But what propelled Bass to collegiate-like skill was her poise, an important trait for golfers dealing with the ups-and-downs of such an individualized sport.

“She’s very good under pressure,” Hunter said. “What’s fun about watching her on a golf course is how she keeps her composure in difficult situations. Obviously (with) golf, if you’re having a difficult day, you can’t pass it off to your point guard for a shot. It’s all on yourself to recover. She does a very good job of keeping her composure and her positive attitude. Golf is a sport where if you hit a bad shot, you’ve got to move on and forget about it… I think that’s one of her best traits.”

And Kailey’s value to the team translates beyond the scorecard; Peninsula’s captain devotes time at practice to assist her teammates throughout a typical round. It’s an aspect of how Bass says she wants to set an example for the rest of the girls, and make sure they have fun while accomplishing their goals.

“She’s a very humble leader,” Hunter said. “She’s quiet, but she leads the group by example and goes out and plays her best. She’s a great help on the golf course. She goes out with players who aren’t as strong, and she’s able to help them and coach them because the head coach getting to see all ten players at the same time can be really hard.”

Despite the pandemic halting Peninsula’s athletic programs throughout the fall, Bass (as it stands) still has one more year of high school golf to play in her career. It would be a condensed season, according to a restructured schedule by the WIAA, but would give Bass the chance to make a final postseason push before becoming a Grand Canyon Lope.

If any athlete were to be prepared throughout a shutdown, it’d be a golfer, considering the availability of both public and private courses in the area. As of now, Bass continues to train at Fircrest Golf Club in preparation for the possibility of a spring golf season.

“There was the shutdown in March and April where all of the courses were closed,” Bass said. “But they began to open back up. … It was nice because none of my friends could practice their sports, but golf was the one sport you could do, because you’re outside.”

Regardless of the fate of Peninsula sports, Bass says she is excited to join a Grand Canyon group that pushes each other and plays at a high level.

In its simplest form, her longtime dream of playing Division-I golf is now reality.

“Playing collegiate golf will be a great experience,” Bass said. “I’m going to learn a lot.”

This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 6:00 AM.