HAMILTON — The sisters typically aren’t in the same group once the season starts.
That’s intentional.
Badin High School girls golf coach Mike Wolf knows what Leah and Lexi Martinkovic mean to one another. He also knows what they mean to the Rams. But when the matches count, Wolf often gives them their space.
Leah is a senior. Lexi is a sophomore. They are sisters, teammates, competitors and supporters. They are close enough to understand each other’s golf game without saying much, but different enough that both still want room to stand on their own.
“They like being their own person,” Wolf said.
That hasn’t stopped them from pushing each other, though.
Leah and Lexi have helped Badin become a girls golf program with higher expectations, joining senior leader Taylor Zoz and powerful junior Emmy Jacobs as part of a core that has pushed the Rams toward one of the best stretches in program history.
Badin — now bumped to Division I — advanced to the Division II district tournament last season after finishing third at the Walden Ponds sectional. Zoz shot an 81, Leah Martinkovic added an 87, Lexi Martinkovic shot a 92 and Jacobs finished with a 96 as the Rams posted a 339 team score.
At districts, Zoz shot a 77 and lost a playoff for the final individual state qualifying spot. Lexi shot a 90, Leah added a 93 and Jacobs posted another 96 as Badin finished fifth with a 349 — 10 strokes from team state qualification.
That number has stuck with the Rams.
“Ten strokes,” Wolf said. “That’s two swings out there for 18 holes.”
For Leah, it is the number that frames her senior season.
“We made districts last year, but we were 10 strokes short of making it to the next level,” Leah said. “Being able to make the next level as a team would be very important for the representation of Badin.”
Sister, sister
The Martinkovic sisters did not grow up chasing golf trophies.
Their mother introduced them to the sport because she wanted them involved in something safe.
Leah started in first grade, but said she didn’t fully commit to the game until high school. Lexi had once been drawn to gymnastics before golf became the family sport.
“Our mom got us into golf,” Leah said. “She wanted us to play a safe sport.”
The sport became something more once both sisters reached Badin.
Leah remembers starting on junior varsity and shooting in the high 50s for nine holes. Over time, the scores dropped, the confidence grew and the game started to feel different.
“I’ve made an insane jump from where I started to where I am now,” Leah said. “I started off on JV, probably shooting high 50s. Now I’m shooting low 40s, high 30s. It’s just an insane jump.”
Lexi has followed quickly.
As a freshman, she became one of Badin’s postseason scorers. She also earned all-league recognition in the GCL Coed, joining Leah, Zoz and Jacobs among Rams who were honored.
This summer, Lexi won the GCGA Sharon Woods Junior Tournament. Leah was there, too, finishing just behind her.
Lexi said the sisters are competitive, but not consumed by it.
“It’s not like, ‘You beat me, so I’m going to get your bag,’” Lexi said. “It’s fun to see her have fun.”
Leah sees it the same way.
“She’s like one of my good friends,” Leah said. “We compete, we motivate each other a lot.”
‘We’re built to compete’
Wolf took over Badin’s girls golf program in 2022 after previously working with the boys program.
He said the Rams needed a clearer identity.
Practices became structured. Tryouts became meaningful. Varsity spots were earned, not assumed.
“We’re built to compete,” Wolf said. “There will be no participation trophies.”
Wolf said the program’s system is built around preparation. Players are encouraged to work with swing coaches. Badin’s staff focuses on course management, emotional control and decision-making.
“The system is to get a swing coach,” Wolf said. “Then what my JV coach and I do is we focus on course management, controlling emotions, what to think, how to prepare.”
That approach has helped raise the level around the entire roster.
Zoz has been one of the program’s breakthrough players. As a freshman in 2023, she shot an 82 at sectionals, tied for first overall and became the first Badin girls golfer in school history to medal at a sectional tournament.
Last season, she was Badin’s No. 1 postseason scorer, shooting 81 at sectionals and 77 at districts.
Jacobs has also become part of the Rams’ depth. She shot 96 at both sectionals and districts last season and is listed with Zoz, Leah and Lexi on Badin’s varsity roster.
Lineup depth is why Wolf believes Badin can take another step.
“We’ve got a really good team,” the coach said with a smile.
Before Wolf arrived, he said the Rams had not finished higher than fourth in the league tournament. Since then, the program has climbed. The next challenge is moving from district qualifier to state contender.
Lexi reminded herself that Badin had a chance last year but didn’t play its best when it mattered most.
“I feel like if we actually played our best that day, we definitely could have gone to state,” Lexi said. “It just wasn’t the day for us.”
Wolf has tried to keep the message simple.
“Do not pursue perfection,” he said. “That’s the pursuit of madness. You pursue excellence.”
Leah has one final season to pursue it with her sister beside her. Lexi has three years left, but only one more with Leah in the same lineup.
They know what is possible. They know how close Badin came.
Now the Rams want more.
“We’ve got to just go out there play golf,” Wolf said. “Just play, baby.”
