WHS Golfing Twins Heading to Texas

Leah and Taylor Ayers have all the normal similarities associated with twins, but their strongest bond might be the love of golf.

“We started playing ever since we could walk and we started competitions around 12,” said Leah, who is a few minutes older than Taylor, “Our whole family is a golf family, so we’ve always been around it.”

The fraternal twins recently graduated from Wethersfield High School, following a bizarre senior year that included the cancellation of their final high school season on the links.

“I was so disappointed. Going into the start of the year we were planning on having such a good golf season. We had such a strong team and we had been practicing all year for it,” recalled Leah.
Despite the setback the sisters stayed focused on golf with the intention of competing together at the next level, eventually both committing to Western Texas College.

“I’m excited because it’s like a whole new world in Texas,” said Taylor.

Lead added, “The weather is good, you can practice at any time and play every day. We have unlimited access to the range.”

The twins are following in the footsteps of their brother, Chris Ayers, who was a 2016 WHS graduate and played at Midland College in Texas before joining the golf team at Old Dominion University in Virginia.

The Ayers family has become a golfing fixture in Wethersfield and the twins are leaving WHS with an impressive resume. 

Leah was a two-time all-conference recipient, adding all-state honors as a junior last spring. Taylor also earned all-conference in 2019 and both were primed to be atop the leaderboards again in 2020.

They also helped the program win back-to-back conference titles, which included an undefeated record (16-0) in 2019.

Head coach Carl Mearman saw the pair develop into two of the area’s best golfers, “It will always be a special memory watching the sisters compete.  The bring out the best in each other’s game.”

Mearman called Leah the true energy spark for the team over the last four years, “Leah thrives on competition and the confidence in her game was evident from the first time I saw her hit a golf ball.  No matter the weather Leah is out practicing trying to improve on her game. Leah’s unabashed love for the game will be missed next season.”

Mearman added that Taylor grew leaps and bounds between her sophomore year and junior year, “Her competitive nature grew ten-fold as she worked all summer to improve her game.  Upon returning to the team last year it was clearly evident that there was a new Taylor on the golf course.  Taylor became a force to be reckoned with during matches.  Her burning desire to beat her sister’s score might have been a factor.”
Naturally, a sibling rivalry exists between the two and they joke about who is better on the links.

“I’m super competitive. I don’t like to lose to anyone, especially to her,” Leah said with a smile.

Both dabbled in other sports growing up---Leah played soccer and Taylor played field hockey---but golf was always the true passion, and both enjoy the individual pressure that comes on the course.

“I like it because you just have to think about yourself and not worry about anyone else,” said Taylor.

“I think every year we love it even more. We fell in love with practicing and getting better,” added Leah.

Parents, Steve and Patty, introduced their kids to the game and Leah said that Steve encouraged them to choose Texas, “We were going back and forth and were looking into places around here and then we looked into Texas and he was the one that pushed us because he knew how good Chris got.”

At Western Texas, Leah will major in science as she pursues a degree in nursing and Taylor will major in business as she pursues a degree in sports management.

The goal is to get two years of JUCO golf under their belts before finding schools which will allow them to finish up their degrees and expand their golf game.

Prior to leaving Connecticut, the twins competed for the first time in nearly a year, teeing off in the 55th Annual Women’s Amateur Open on July 22 and 23. Leah finished 6th overall and Taylor finished 12th.   

On August 3, they depart to Snyder, Texas to start a new golfing chapter and Leah said the twins are ready for the challenge.  
“Wethersfield was great, and it was fun, but I think we’re ready to focus on golf.” 

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