Golden Valley High girls golf coach Tony Moskal, the only golf coach the school has ever known now in its eighth year in existence, puts it bluntly — as only he can.

“My program was a train wreck,” he says.

Golden Valley had never even finished above fifth place in a Foothill League match between 2006 (its first varsity season) and 2010.

Finishing nine holes for some golfers, in some cases, was an adventure.

There was one shining moment — in 2006, Grace Nam qualified for the CIF individual postseason by tying for fourth place in the Foothill League’s 27-hole individual tournament. Back then, the Foothill awarded its individual playoff spots, other than the league Most Valuable Player who had the lowest combined strokes on the season, based on the top scores in this tournament.

There have been a few quality golfers — Brittany Suarez continued her golf career at College of the Canyons in 2009 and 2010.

But in 2011, the train got on the tracks for the first time ever.

And the conductor was a little 5-foot-3-inch junior named Amanda Hobbs.

Hobbs became the second golfer in school history to reach the individual postseason.

She finished sixth overall in league this year and debuts in the CIF-Southern Section Northern Individual Regional today at River Ridge Golf Club in Oxnard.

No matter how she finishes today, she has helped lay a foundation down for the future at Golden Valley.

Golden Valley finished fourth overall in league, and with a group of underclassmen expected to return next season, including four golfers who finished in the top 19 of league individually, the future is bright.

“This year’s team was a lot different,” Hobbs says. “The girls came in with high hopes and greater competitive spirit. If it wasn’t a good day, we’d get down a little bit and say, ‘That’s OK, we can do better.’ Past years, it was we shot bad and, ‘That’s OK, we’re not going to win anyway.’”

Hobbs came to Golden Valley as an accomplished club soccer player.

She was a midfielder and captain for her SCV Magic team. But by the time she arrived in high school, 10 years of playing extinguished her fire for the game.

Around the same time, she took up golf — a sport her father, Keith, had played in high school and continued to play as an adult.

She started taking lessons from one of the valley’s premier golf teachers, Lee Breckenridge, who has guided accomplished golfers in the Santa Clarita Valley including Hart graduate and PGA Tour veteran Jason Gore and local female prep golf stars Melanie De Leon, Stevy Loy and Nikki Prichard.

In two years, Hobbs has gone from golf novice to burgeoning prep star under the tutelage of Breckenridge.

“It’s pretty amazing what she’s done in two years’ time,” Breckenridge says. “She has put her heart and soul into it, and it’s really neat to see where she is.”

Breckenridge credits the fast success to a couple of things.

She had a good natural swing, she had strong legs from soccer and had a competitive drive that was born on the soccer fields of her past.

That competitive drive has been a driving force for the Golden Valley team.

“They look to me for advice,” Hobbs says of her teammates. “I’m not saying you need to do this or that. I’ll encourage them. I’ll say, ‘If you’re struggling with this, here’s a tip.’ I’m not too big on getting down and hard on the girls. I know what it’s like to not play a good round. I’m more encouraging and helpful.”

And well-spoken and smart.

Hobbs speaks with a humble confidence. She is a 4.0 student who takes AP and honors classes.

The young golfer turned her teammates and coach onto Breckenridge, and now he tutors the team.

“It was exciting for them to make progress (this year),” Breckenridge says. “We have five to six kids interested in playing college golf. Next year should be an exciting year for them.”

Hobbs, Kaitlyn Thayer and Ashley Pfenning, who all finished in the top 19 in league, will be seniors next year.

Sophomores Gabby Mendoza and Illeana Dullas and freshman Camille Mendoza are improving significantly, Moskal says.

To top off the 2011 season, Hobbs will golf in the playoffs.

Prior to that, she finished the 27-hole, Foothill League-ending exhibition Newhall Land Cup in third place overall.

“She will go down as the best golfer the school has ever had,” Moskal says. “It will take a hell of a golfer to be better than her.”