Matt Hamilton/Daily Citizen-NewsNorth Murray High School's Savanah Satterfield signs her National Letter of Intent to play college golf for Georgia Southern University on Thursday at the Dalton Golf & Country Club. Pictured in back from left are Maria Bradley (North Murray principal), Pam Satterfield (mother), Wayne Satterfield (father), Roger Rainey (North Murray athletic director) and Russ Allstun (coach).

CHATSWORTH, Ga. — Whenever a kid picks something up for the first time, whether it be a football, a baseball bat or, as in Savanah Satterfield’s case, a golf club, there’s usually big dreams that comes with it.

Satterfield, a North Murray High School senior, saw her dreams get realized Thursday at the Dalton Golf & Country Club when she signed a National Letter of Intent to play college golf at Georgia Southern University.

“It’s very rewarding,” she said shortly after signing. “It’s just basically a representation of all the hard work I put in, all the support everyone’s given me. You could tell by the turnout, I’ve had a lot of support and I wouldn’t be here without them.

“At the beginning you never really realized how much work it would be to get this far. I couldn’t make it here without the people that have been supporting me. I’m so thankful for all of them.”

Satterfield committed to play her college golf for the Eagles in July, but says there’s a different feeling once the signing was made and she officially became a Division I college athlete.

“You know that you’re committed, but now that you have it official, it’s like you’ve actually flipped that page,” she said. “It’s not like you’re close to the end of that page, but you’ve actually turned it. It’s a great feeling. There’s nothing like it in the world.

Satterfield signed while surrounded by family and friends in a packed room at the country club.

Emily Kuhfeld, the Georgia Southern women’s golf coach, said the type of people Satterfield and her family are carried as much weight as her ability on the course when it came to wanting to make her a part of the Georgia Southern program.

“I’d seen her and her name a lot, but really this past summer I followed her around to different tournaments and got to know her pretty well and her game,” Kuhfeld said. “I had heard a lot of good things about her and her family first before I even started recruiting her. They’re good, solid people. Watching her play, obviously she’s a wonderful athlete, got the length to play at a high level. I really like how she handles herself, her attitude and composure on the golf course.”

Satterfield is one of three girls, along with Emma Bell of Mill Creek High School and Kaysie Harrelson of Tift County High School, who signed with Georgia Southern last week.

“I had my official visit two weekends ago. We all had ours at the same time so I got to meet all of them at the same time,” Satterfield said of getting to know the other girls in her class. “I got see my dorm room. We’ll all be living together which is great. They’re all great girls. I’m so excited to get to play with them. They’re a lot like me, they’re tall so I’m not going to be the tallest person. We can all hit it a long ways. That’s kind of always been my strength but we can all hit it a long ways so I’m excited to see who can put in the work in the short game and get the No. 1 spot.”

“We set up the official visit so they were all there at the same time and everywhere we went it’s one big group of people,” Kuhfeld said. “It was so much fun. They all really connected which I knew they would. They’re all a lot alike. They’re very talented in the classroom. They work hard and come from families that value those qualities. It was heart-warming to see them all connect right away and get along.”

The Eagles program is in its third year of competition. After winning the Sun Belt Conference championship in 2016, the Eagles finished eighth last year.

Kuhfeld says Satterfield has the potential to step right in once she gets to campus in the fall of 2018, but says the competition for tournament spots will be tough.

“She has the ability to where she can come in and be an immediate impact player, but the girls we have are going to be trying to keep their spots,” Kuhfeld said. “I like the in-team competition, it’s a great thing to have. If she keeps working hard she can definitely work her way into a spot.”

Satterfield had the option of graduating high school early and starting at Georgia Southern this spring, but after talking with Kuhfeld and her family, the decision was made to finish her senior year at North Murray.

“We talked a lot about all the different options she has cause she’s so far ahead academically,” Kuhfeld said. “We had talked about it and both came to this conclusion. Enjoy high school and she’ll have four full years here and she’ll be playing her best golf by the time she’s a senior. Growth and development is a big part of our program.”

“I’ll be able to have fun and enjoy all the moments I have with my friends before I leave,” Satterfield said.

That includes playing on final year for the Lady Mountaineers. No seniors graduated from last year’s team that finished third in the state. Satterfield tied for fourth individually.

Playing one more season allows her one more chance to play along side her cousin, Shelby.

“You always have the bond,” Savanah Satterfield said. “I know if I’m going to the golf course I’m always going to see her there. If I’m ever having a down day I know that I have her to pick her up. She’s always been there for me. I know if I ever need support she’s got me. It’s a team aspect and having a family member on the team is just a different kind of support and home for me. I’m so glad to play beside her and I’m going to miss her when I go to college.”