Hampshire's Ellett sisters geared up for another run on the links

There have been countless nicknames bestowed upon sports tandems over the years.

Monikers like "Daily Double," and "Dynamic Duo," come quickly to mind.

But when it comes to the area's most dominant pair of high school girls golfers, the nickname is straightforward.

"Hampshire has the Ellett girls," said one area coach. "That's tough when you have a one and a two like that."

The Ellett girls are, of course, junior Taylor, and sophomore Connie, who both helped lead Hampshire to the Big Northern Conference championship and an appearance in a Class AA sectional last year. Taylor Ellett ended up qualifying for her second straight state finals (she qualified in Class A as a freshman).

And both are poised to make even larger impacts this season. The sisters are fresh off stellar summers that saw Connie finish fifth in the Illinois Junior Golf Association player of the year standings in the junior division and Taylor Ellett take 11th in the IJGA POY standings in the senior division. Connie won four tournaments and placed no lower than third during the summer, while Taylor also won four tournaments and took no lower than fifth.

"Both of them had real nice summers," said their mom and Hampshire coach Sue Ellett. "I was very pleased. Doug (Ellett) and I always try and teach the kids that if you work really hard it will pay off over the long haul. I expect a lot out of them. I expect them to carry the load. My goal for them would be to break 80 in the tournaments and combine to be under 80 for the 9-hole events. If they do that, they have a chance to be successful and the team has a chance to be successful."

In addition to hitting it hard on the tournament circuit in the summer, the sisters also used the weight room to improve. Taylor ended up spending more time with the weights due to Connie's commitments with the basketball team.

"Taylor spent a ton of time in the weight room from October until the weather broke in the spring," said Sue Ellett. "Now she's hitting the par 5s in two and using shorter irons into the 4s. She's comfortable being around par. She had three rounds in the 70s this summer - the first time she's broken 80 in 18-hole tournaments. She's really gotten consistent and gotten some strength. The football coaches joked they wish they could get everybody in there as much as she was in there.

"Connie had basketball in the winter, but she worked real hard. She's gained distance as well. Her short game has gotten better and she's more consistent. There aren't as many double bogeys and there are a lot more birdies."

Taylor admits the weight room thing rated a bit on the tough side at first.

"It was hard in the beginning," said Taylor. "One of dad's friends is a personal trainer and he had set up some pretty hard workouts to do. After awhile, I enjoyed it."

Taylor said the lifting helped erase a memory she had from last year's state tournament.

"Downstate I noticed girls were hitting it past me on the longer holes," said Taylor. "Dad said I was hitting it just as straight, now I just need to hit it past them. I'm not the biggest kid in town. I needed to keep up with some of the stronger girls. I was hitting it about 200 yards last year. Now I'm up to 210 and 215ish. That's 10 yards longer on the driver, which is nice. It's nicer when I get on the par 4s. Instead of having to hit a 6-iron to the green I can hit a shorter club. It's a lot more of an advantage."

Connie points to consistency as her biggest stride forward.

"My shot has improved and my scoring is more consistent now," said Connie. "I'm getting up and down more than I used to. That's helped my score come down."

Connie has also added some length to her drive.

"I'm getting about 5 to 10 more yards, which makes a big difference," she said.

Her secret weapon, though, is the wedge.

"My wedge play has been the best part of my game," said Connie. "I can knock it within 10 feet and then have a chance to make a birdie."

Hitting the magical 70 threshold this summer was a thrill for both girls.

"I finally got into the 70s," said Taylor. "I worked so hard. I was so close before. Once I did it, it was really nice."

"I got under 80 two times," said Connie. "I was definitely excited. One of the times I did it, it was pouring rain."

In terms of the natural question about the sibling rivalry thing - there is none. The sisters have no qualms playing with each other.

"I really like playing with Connie," said Taylor. "We get along really well. She's a real good competitor. She's someone I like competing against. It's good to have someone like her on your team."

"Taylor encourages me," said Connie. "The other day I shot pretty rough. She got me back on track. If Taylor has a really good game, it helps me more."

The Ellett girls are also excited about the prospects for the Hampshire team this season.

"The girls on the team are a lot of fun to play with," said Taylor. "Hopefully, all of the hard work will pay off. We'd like to get to sectionals and state this year."

"I think we can have a very successful year," said Connie, who was the medalist in Hampshire's first meet of the season with a 4-under par round. "Jessie Van Dorin has gotten better. Taylor's scores are down and Tina Tuminaro has gotten better. We want to try and win the conference again and get to sectionals and see where else we will go."