Luke Trese, Former Jacket Golfer - March 20, 2024

As an adult, now 2 years removed from college and living on my own, I can say I have some new found appreciation for my time playing golf in high school. I never went on to play golf in school, not even through a club team, heck I rarely ever played golf in my free time as a college student. But now I have a job in sports, something I have always wanted, and I have some great coworkers. We all enjoy some time away from the busy ballpark in the summertime and go golfing.

When I was in high school, I was never the best golfer on the team, but I loved to be outside on the course with my friends. I found my sense of belonging and some of my closest friends while riding the bus to matches, sweating through 9 holes at practice on the super hot days during the first weeks of school, and leaving school early to go play golf. At the time I really didn’t think much of those great things because I was living through it every day for 4 years. But looking back at it, it really was something special. Not only was it fun to be a part of something like golf in high school, it helped create good habits for me. In whatever I do, I always want to be improving 1% every day, whether at golf, my job, or anything I have an interest in. High school golf gave me a way to constantly improve myself, on and off the course.

After I graduated from The University of Akron, and got my job, I quickly got sucked right back into golf. Since we work unusual and long hours, we often get random week days off, and we go play golf as a staff. We just play the local courses in the Akron area, but that’s not all, we have to pay greens fees to play! I have to pay for my own equipment, balls, shoes, etc. I had no idea that golf was this expensive! In high school I had my junior membership at Chapel Hill, and gave no thought to it. As a team we were playing some really great places, even some private courses that require a membership to even get in the clubhouse! It would be a really special treat for me now to go play at some of those places we got to play. Remember to enjoy the privileges you earn by being able to play high school golf.

Golf has become one of my favorite hobbies since I graduated school. I love being able to get outside and do something that I love for a few hours, it really is like an escape from reality. When I was competing with so many great golfers in high school I never thought I was very good. But now that I have gotten away from golf competition I have realized, nothing gives you more confidence than playing golf with non-golfers. It is just like riding a bike, the four years of instruction that I got while playing golf in high school gave me great habits that stayed with me throughout my time as a casual golfer. To the average joe, I seem really good! 17 year old me would not believe that I can say that now.

At the time, nothing seemed more important than shooting below my all time lowest score. It is important to have goals while competing, but make sure you are living in the moment and enjoying being able to play the great game of golf with your friends and represent something bigger than yourself. I don’t know how many varsity matches I ended up playing in 4 years (it wasn’t many!), but that doesn’t mean anything anymore. I just love playing golf now, and I don’t think I would love it if it wasn’t for everything I got out of our high school golf program.

Jillian Williams, Current Jacket Golfer - April 24, 2023

I did not grow up on the golf course and well-kempt fairways like a lot of other golfers. I grew up on the marley floors of a dance studio. I started dancing at 2 ½ years old and never thought of trying another sport. Most of my family is big into golf and I have always had my own set of clubs since I was little, but never saw much interest in it. As I got older I fell out of love with dance, for multiple reasons, and just felt like I needed something new. I made a last minute decision to try out for the golf team the spring before my freshman year. I had my family around me as resources to teach me about my swing and how to hit the ball properly. Long story short, I ended up making the team and falling in love with the sport that golf is. 

The summer leading into my sophomore season was when I really grew in the sport and became addicted to being out on the course. The love I have for both sports is rooted from one quality they both share - no matter how hard you try and how much effort you put in, you can ALWAYS be better. There is never a "perfect" golfer or dancer. There is undoubtedly something that needs improvement. Dance was very physical and it had a huge involvement in my life. If you danced it was your life and you did nothing else. No time for anything.  From the time I got out of school till nine at night, 5 days a week and weekends, I would be at the dance studio. Out of habit I have noticed myself transitioning that to golf. I am at the course as much as I can be and you can not get me off of it.

When I joined the golf team it showed me how a real team operates. The support from the boys and coaching was incredible. Some of the best days of the season were spent walking with other players as they would qualify on Fridays for Saturday tournaments. Or them riding in a golf cart next to me at my home tournaments after they got done practicing. I love summer and hot weather more than anything. Being in the sun all day, listening to music, and playing golf with my friends are the parts of summer I look forward to. Being surrounded by these incredible people and environment is what makes the sport ten times better than it already is. I grew up dancing and I miss it everyday, but I have never experienced anything as close to this team in my 13 years of dance. 

Byron Justice, 4-Year Jacket Golfer - April 12, 2023

Growing up, I was quite literally skin and bones. I didn’t like it, but I just accepted that that’s how I would be. I didn’t like the jokes my friends made that were supposed to be lighthearted, but I went along with it. After a pretty successful junior season where I shaved ~10 shots off of my scoring average, Coach Savage sat down with the three rising seniors and talked with us about our goals and what we wanted to accomplish.

One of my main goals was to get stronger. Coach Savage knew that was an area I needed to improve, and pushed me to do so. That November, I got signed up at the YMCA and began going there every day after school. It was a little hard to get started, as I was about 6’1” and 130 lbs at the time, so I didn’t exactly exude confidence walking into the gym, and my only real gym experience came from team workouts during the offseason between my sophomore and junior seasons.

I started off just doing exercises I remembered from team lifts, and learning as I went. I got into a solid routine, and everything was going great, until COVID hit and gyms closed. I continued my lifts at home with limited equipment and with much less frequency. Gyms eventually reopened in the summer, and I fell into a routine of waking up, going to the gym, then heading to the course. I went into my senior year bigger, stronger, and more flexible than last year, and it paid off with how far I hit the ball in comparison to the previous year, which led to multiple career and tournament lows that season.

After my senior season ended, I started to get into powerlifting more, and now compete on the club powerlifting team here at Ohio State, as well as the club golf team. The benefits of going to the gym went beyond just hitting the ball further. Going to the gym and getting bigger has made me feel more confident about myself and erased insecurities I once had. I now have more structure to my day and am more focused on eating and sleeping well. Going to the gym also makes me more motivated throughout the day. I’ve gained roughly 45 lbs since I started lifting my junior year, added around 40-50 yards to my average driving distance, fell in love with a completely different sport, and feel much better about myself, all because of a nudge from my high school golf coach in a postseason meeting.

Griffin Beach, Current Jacket Golfer - March 29, 2023

As a golfer, I've learned that the sport has taught me valuable lessons that extend far beyond the course. One of the most significant lessons I've learned is the importance of facing adversity head-on. Golf is definitely a challenge both physically and (especially) mentally, and it is common to face a setback or two during a round. However, I've come to appreciate that these challenges can help me grow as a student and as a person.

Facing adversity on the golf course has taught me how to handle difficult situations calmly and methodically. For example, if I'm faced with a tough shot, I take a moment to step back, evaluate the situation, consider my options, and then execute my plan. This mindset has helped me approach academic challenges in a similar way. When faced with a difficult problem or a challenging assignment, I take a step back, assess the situation, and then develop a plan to overcome the challenge.

Furthermore, overcoming adversity in golf has helped me develop a growth mindset. It is necessary to keep moving forward, even when things aren't going as planned. Staying in the moment and looking forward is a lesson applicable to all aspects of life. I’ve adopted similar mindset in the classroom. Instead of being discouraged by obstacles, I approach them as opportunities for growth and learning. This approach has helped me to develop resilience, which is a crucial trait for my personal and academic success. Because of this, I have been an achieved student athlete.

Overall, golf has been (and will continue to be) a transformative experience. Through the sport, I've learned how to handle hardship, develop a growth mindset, and cultivate resilience. These lessons have helped me to become a better student, and a better person overall.

Carson Carpenter, Former 3 Sport Athlete - March 16, 2023

Growing up playing nearly every high speed, contact sport I could, I had the same narrow minded idea of golf that I think many kids do today. It’s too slow, it’s boring, “cool” kids don’t play golf. All of these opinions based on seeing a few holes on tv and never actually trying it myself. So I let the years pass without ever really picking up a club, all while living steps away from a golf course.

Fast forward to my junior year of high school and both of my younger brothers have started playing middle school golf. The joy they would bring home from every practice and round was infectious, and I envied it. I decided to journey to the driving range with them to see how they could be having so much fun with something I thought was so boring. I remember their swings looking so easy and thought I’d be able to replicate it. As every first time golfer I did a few Happy Gilmore swings, dug a few holes behind the ball, and swung as hard as I could until I ultimately failed and decided golf wasn’t for me. I watched from the sidelines for the next 2 years as my brothers would go out every chance they could and play with their friends.

Finally, when I graduated high school and was unable to play the sports I loved and always played, I decided to give golf one final chance. So I went out to play a round with my brothers and dad and that’s when it all clicked. I finally realized why they loved golf so much - it was seeing hours of hard work pay off on every shot, it was the highs and lows that each round brought, but more importantly it was the quality time shared with people who you love being around.
 

After that I caught the golf bug, and once you catch that bug you can’t get rid of it. I felt the joy of seeing the ball fly through the air, shared so many smiles and laughs with anyone I could get to golf with me, and realized how challenging it is to play golf. It is a mental grind with every swing, high pressure situations are found everywhere in a round, and every hole is a competition. The game of golf would’ve helped me mentally in every other sport I played, but unfortunately I was too late. That summer was my only chance to get as much out of golf as it could give me. I soon left for college and was able to hit at the range once a week and play twice a month if I was lucky. Classes, money, and life took over, and time for golf was limited. 

In 2 months my life will be taken over by dental school and I’ll be lucky to get a single round in over the next 4 years. Not playing golf in middle and high school is one of my biggest regrets. Please take advantage of the opportunity if it is still in front of you, parents take your kids to play golf. Getting to play golf everyday for free with your best friends with nothing else to worry about is a once in a life time opportunity that only middle school and high school golf can provide. It will teach mental toughness, how to grind, and create lifelong memories and friends. Don’t make the same mistake that so many athletes make in waiting till after high school to start golfing. Take advantage of the opportunity in front of you and you’ll quickly realize how much golf has to offer. If you’ve never played before and have that same golf is boring idea like I did, I challenge you to grab a few of your best friends or family, go to a range and hit some balls. Share some laughs and feel the joy of getting your first ball to fly through the air and I promise you won’t be able to stop. You’ll soon be on the same journey I was, but hopefully you still have time to really take advantage of the game of golf.

Junior Varsity Coach TT Crouch - March 14, 2023

Golf has given me the opportunity of a lifetime; to travel the world. My first taste of professional golf came on the PGA Tour of Latin America in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Culture shock. I had my book, Spanish for Dummies, in my backpack, my luggage, and my golf clubs waiting for a cab in a foreign country over 4,000 miles away. I was out of my comfort zone, needless to say. Nervous, unsure, and excited all at the same time to start a career that I had always dreamed of. I missed the cut by 1 that week.

Playing my collegiate golf career at Florida Southern College, I was able to make connections with several PGA Tour winners and US Open winners. They became my mentors. I was a sponge, soaking up all the information that I could. 

I made my PGA Tour debut at The Memorial Tournament in June of 2015. The tournament that I vividly remember going to as a kid. I went to eat lunch in the players lounge that Monday and that is where I got to meet Mr. Jack Nicklaus, one of the greatest players of all time. I was practicing on the range with Tiger Woods, playing practice rounds with Keegan Bradley and Sam Saunders. Talk about a week that I'll never forget.

After 3 years of bouncing around on the mini tours all over the United States, I finally gained Web.com (now Korn Ferry) Tour status. Not able to rack up guaranteed starts, I decided to play on the PGA Tour Canada for the remainder of 2018. Again, culture shock. In my first PGA Tour Canada start, I won in Lethbridge, Alberta, with one of my best friends on the bag, Anthony Savage. That was the highlight of my professional career. I would spend the next 2 summers playing PGA Tour Canada, traveling from Vancouver all the way to Nova Scotia. I would stay in host housing (families that volunteer to let players stay with them) and cheap hotels in an effort to keep costs down. 

Golf has taken me places that I never even knew existed and introduced me to several people around the world that I still keep in touch with.

I started my golf career at Mount Vernon Middle School in 2004 and now in 2023, I'm the Junior Varsity coach. Full circle. My goal is to have the same impact on our players that my coaches throughout the years had on me. You truly have no idea where this game can take you!

Head Coach Anthony Savage - March 10, 2023

My answer isn't what you think it would be, like "building relationships," or, "watching kids compete," or something else cliche. I do enjoy those things, but uniquely, I enjoy being in the middle of watching kids struggle. Yes, you read that right. I get my purpose from watching players struggle and working with them on how to handle disappointment - how to bounce back.

Golf is a brutal game. And I mean brutal. Dealing with expectations, both internally and externally, makes it that much harder. Rarely do rounds of golf, or even individual holes, go as planned. Frustration, rage, happiness, highs, lows, etc. are just a few things a player might experience during a round of golf - or even in a 15 minute span on the course. How a player reacts to every single shot throughout a 4+ hour period plays a crucial role in the success of the round. How a player talks to themselves during that same time frame carries just as much weight. While factoring in each player's personality (some are more fiery than others), typically a neutral reaction =  good and positive self talk = good. As a program, we talk about this stuff ALL THE TIME. On the course, in the middle of the action, at practice, everywhere.

Learning how to handle disappointment on the golf course is a skill that relates directly to life. Life doesn't always go as planned. We don't always get that job we wanted. Our relationships don't always last. Externally, we aren't always as successful as people expected us to be. But we still have to carry on as positively as possible. This doesn't mean that we can't feel. Or try to act like our disappointment isn't real. It just means that we have to bounce back quickly so as to not negatively impact our next situation (or our next shot). Learning this skill is exactly that - a learned skill. And I may be biased, but there is no better way to practice that skill than to pick up a golf club. Thanks for reading - go be great!