Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: We are excited to have the state preview show here and we have some special guests that you're going to get to listen to coming up here. Josh Bryant, the Westfield High School golf coach. We have Nate McClung. Nate is the head coach at Yorktown and Nate has a lot of knowledge from across the state when it comes to high school coach golf. We have Aiden Gutierrez. Aiden is the 2022 high school state champ. And then lastly we have joining us will be Braden Miller and Braden is last year state champion.
However, this episode is possible from the Fitness Garage. The Fitness Garage is located in Carmel, Indiana and they work with a lot of students in the area. And I know Mike Christman and his team over there at the Fitness Garage. They do a great job.
We use them and we've been happy with the results. And if you need to get a hold of Mike over at the Fitness Garage, you can reach him at 317-522-7893.
[00:01:10] Speaker B: Welcome because you are now listening to from the Cart Pass with your host Trent Roberts bringing you tips, support and player recognition and education with the experts for parents and junior golfers in Indiana.
This is from the Cart Path with your host Trent Roberts.
[00:01:40] Speaker A: Hey everyone, this is Trent Roberts with from the Cart Path and we are doing our state preview show which I am quite excited about. I've invited back Nate McClung, the coach at Yorktown High School. And we have the 2022 state champion, Aiden Gutierrez with us today. And Aiden, I'm going to go right at you right away. Is what are these guys thinking about right now and how are they preparing for Tuesday?
[00:02:06] Speaker C: Yeah, well, it's definitely a lot different than preparing for any other tournament really because yeah, I mean this is, yeah, it's the whole goal of what you've been aiming your entire season for and you're trying to really just trying to peak at this one time.
So as far as preparation and kind of what's going into every player's mind is you're, you're kind of really wanting to get into a like play, like play golf type of state, kind of moving away from a lot of like block practice. That that's kind of like what I would do normally at the start of the season. But it's a lot more the, I think the terms like random practice but you're trying to like just get into a mode where everything is, you know, competitive, result based and just really like playing a ton of golf out on the course trying to hit different golf shots because Prairie View is demanding in that way. As well.
So that, that's kind of the way that I prepared for it is really. Yeah, just trying to hit a bunch of different golf shots, learning to be reactionary a little bit more to what you're doing.
And that's really. I think the big thing in preparation is starting to move towards a little bit less away from kind of like swing thoughts and more towards results. And let's get ready to play, compete and win a golf tournament.
[00:03:29] Speaker A: Nate, as a coach, what if you are going to stay here in a couple of days, what are you doing to prepare your team?
[00:03:38] Speaker D: Yeah, so I think a majority of the regionals were last Thursday. So I'm. I'm guessing first of all, most of the teams are probably playing a practice round.
I would. Most, I'm probably Monday, don't you think? Trent? I don't, I don't know what the golf course had available this weekend.
[00:03:54] Speaker A: My guess is it's either today or Monday because a lot of the schools aren't going to practice on Sunday. They get that one practice round before Tuesday. I've already spoken to Peyton, Blake Blackheart and Braden Miller, and both of them are practicing on Monday.
[00:04:07] Speaker D: Yeah. So I, I think ideally you get out on the golf course as early as you can, try to simulate, you know, your tee time the next day. That's in an ideal world, you probably can't do that. But we're just trying to get out there, trying to stay loose, trying to hit a lot of shots. Obviously, we never let our kids keep score in actual practice rounds, if that's what we're talking about.
But just getting to know the golf course flags are going to be marked, putting around, chipping around a little bit.
Because for us, you know, our goal is always to try to get to the state finals. When you get there, you obviously want to play well, but by that point of the season, we just really want our players to enjoy the experience, to enjoy the camaraderie, enjoy the hotel, those types of things. But Aiden is obviously a very, very skilled golfer. You know, a young man. What'd you finish in the top five three times, second once medal in 2022. What'd you finish your freshman year?
[00:04:56] Speaker C: Do you remember freshman year, I finished eighth, finished eighth.
[00:05:00] Speaker D: There you go.
[00:05:01] Speaker C: Yeah, so.
[00:05:02] Speaker D: So Aiden finished eighth, fifth, second and second and first at Yorktown. We have some talented players, but Aiden's approach to the golf course is probably a little bit different than most of the players that we have the privilege of coaching. Not that we don't coach some wonderful young men. But I think Aiden could probably talk more to the preparation of trying to medal at the state finals with his resume.
[00:05:26] Speaker A: Well, I guess we know a little about the course, we know a little about preparation for this. Let's get right in and talking about some of the things that people that we may see stand out as the individual side. Aiden being an individual champ. And kind of talk to us about some of the guys that stick out to you that could win the individual title this year.
[00:05:43] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, I'll try. Try and not leave anybody out because there's, there's a ton of guys. Indiana's super talented right now. I mean, first person on the list obviously is Braden Miller, last year's champion. From everything that I've seen, he's been having a great year.
Obviously a great ball striker, short games, really, really developed past couple years. Which is one thing that I know that he's mentioned to me is, you know, that that part of his game has gotten better. So I'd say Braden, winning in the past, knows how to win. Would be obviously really, really formidable player out there.
And then other, other players as well, obviously, like Will Harvey, great player.
Jake Caesar, another great player. I'm pretty sure he got second as well last year, if I'm remembering right. So another, another great player. I'm sure he's chomping at the bits, trying to get the job done this year. Team title and individual.
These are three names right away that kind of stand out.
I mean, ton of good players, ton of good players. I would say that normally at the state tournament, you'll see winners who have won golf tournaments before. There's a ton of pressure, ton of.
Just a bunch of different mental components that go into the state championship. So normally what it takes to win is.
Comes from experience, you know, and people who know how to win tournaments kind of won, whether it's just IJGA tournaments, won a lot of the high school invitationals.
So there, there's definitely like a process and something to be said about experience of winning, too, that goes into all these guys that have won state in the past.
[00:07:30] Speaker A: Now, Nate, you were just at Regional 4 and you saw some of those players. Anybody from your, your regional that you think could be standing on the podium?
[00:07:38] Speaker D: Yeah, from Regional 4 specifically. So you're talking the Noblesville, Hamilton Southeastern. And then I know, Trent, you mentioned that you, you weren't counting out a freshman winning. And for us, that'd be Landon Tropf in our regional. He's a really good player. I think Johnny Lehman is a young man who I believe he shot two under par at the preview.
Cathedral Junior. I think he's committed to Butler as far as individually coming out of our regional. I would say he would be up there as one who could do it.
Landon, like I said, he's a freshman who has won golf tournaments.
I mentioned he won a tournament we hosted at Delaware Country Club by five.
And then, you know, Noblesville and Hamilton Southeastern have some really talented players, but. But I just don't know that they have guys who can shoot like Aiden did on day one when he won the state finals. 67, I believe it was. You got to be pretty darn good. And honestly, more often than not, you got to put a number up there one of those two days just because it's pretty challenging to shoot 70 or 71 both days and, and get that number to where you need it to be.
So I would say if it does come out of Regional 4, those would probably be the two names that I would look for. If you are talking about the. The Muncie Central Regional specifically there. Trent.
[00:08:52] Speaker A: Yeah. Back up at Aiden's old regional, we did have a freshman that just won the regional up there in Ben DeVito, and he's one of the other freshmen we've talked about. I think Ben's good. Could be consistent. I think he could be in the top 10 podium. I think there's a lot of things he could do. I just don't know.
Like you just said, it's. We got to see guys who could come in and shoot 66, 67 on one of those two days to make it happen. And I know at least coming out of that regional two, you've got three guys out of that regional two that any of them could show up with. Braden Miller, Silas Har. And then with Alex Holder coming back and playing at state this year for the first time, any one of those three guys that we just mentioned. And a. You know, all three of those guys, obviously Silas was runner up in 23.
[00:09:33] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:09:33] Speaker A: And then Alex is being his first time and Braden being a state champ. And Braden's been top 10 every time he's been to Prairie View. So what do you know about those? Besides Braden, what do you know about those other two guys? Aiden?
[00:09:44] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. Silas. Silas I've played a bit with in the past. He's. He's a great player. Definitely got to mention him. Forgot to mention him earlier.
And like you said, he got runner up two years ago and then last year I. I believe he did pretty well. Again, he's. He's a really consistent guy from, you know, just playing with them. I know that he has a good work ethic, and he knows how to perform, how to, you know, keep composure and win.
And really good ball striker, which is, again, kind of something that you're looking for at Prairie View. So I would. I would never count Silas out of it, especially two years ago. He went on a. I'm pretty sure a really, like, late run the second day to kind of really vault himself up, which is, again, another, you know, handy aspect of something to have in your arsenal is be able to make a run late and force some pressure on the leaders.
And then as far as Alex Holder, I actually have not played with him before, but we've met. Yeah, we've met, though. He's a great guy and an amazing player, so I'm really excited to see how he does as well, but. Yeah. Yeah. And then real quick, another guy that I think I should mention, Kaden Baker, I'm pretty sure has been playing some really good golf this year. Won the state preview, right, with a 66.
[00:11:05] Speaker D: Yep.
[00:11:05] Speaker C: Yeah. Really, really impressive. I played with him the first day last year at state, and I don't believe he shot the number that he wanted to, but he also. He looked really good. Really hits it straight and pretty long. And that's another guy that I wouldn't count out.
[00:11:20] Speaker A: Yeah. If you're down here this week, Aiden. He and Braden are paired together on day one. So that's really gonna be a really good pairing.
[00:11:28] Speaker D: Yeah, I know you're a big Silas hair guy. You've been talking about him for months now.
We be har. Excuse me. Yeah, there you go. We'd be remiss. Not to mention, he has 130 combined strokes in the postseason so far. If you add his 63 and 67.
So you know that that would suggest that he has a good chance to be in contention. And like Aiden said, I think especially we see Braden's a great example. The. The players who play this golf course well typically do it again. So having that experience, especially as Aiden said, making a run, a late run at Medalist, would suggest that he's got a pretty good opportunity to have a chance there on day two.
[00:12:11] Speaker A: Well, and the crazy thing, as soon as we head over to regional three, I mean, right away, you can name three players. Aiden's already named two of them, and Will Harvey and Jake Caesar. Then you got to throw Eli Wessel in there. Can he match what his brother did in 23? So it's the crazy thing we Talk about that regional team wise and the teams that are going to get out of there. You have three of the strongest players in the state right at that regional as well. And Silas has been playing great. But now I look over at this regional, it's like all of a sudden I forget those three guys we just talked about because now we have these three guys that we could chat about real quick. How well do you know Jake and Will? Aiden?
[00:12:51] Speaker C: I know him pretty well. We've played a little bit of golf together, but obviously just competing in a ton of tournaments together. So I've gotten to know each of them pretty well. And the Caesars I've known pretty well for a long time now.
But they're both super talented, super good golfers, know how to win at a very high level.
Yeah, really? Some powerhouse dudes for sure that got a chance to win it this week.
[00:13:17] Speaker A: Yeah, there are. And then as soon as we start talking and even head further down, we've talked regional three, regional two, regional one.
And what I said in the last podcast was the hottest golfer in the state of Indiana is Peyton Blackert. And Peyton won the die Junior, he won sectionals and now he turns around and wins his regionals.
So again, here we are throwing more names out there and Peyton sent off to Notre Dame next year. So. But then we look at that regional, there's a lot of other additional names down there with Luke Johnston and all the other guys, State teammates coming out of that regional. Aiden.
[00:13:52] Speaker D: Yeah, we refer to that one as the Ball State Regional. Right. Three of those guys who finished in the top four with Brady, Luke and Braden, they're all going to be there with Aiden at Ball State.
I think Coach Fleck just lost six seniors and he said, I'm just going to go watch Regional 5 and recruit all the best players. And then one from Baylor.
[00:14:12] Speaker A: Oh yeah, maybe I'll just.
[00:14:14] Speaker D: I mean, three of those guys are going to be his teammate here, I guess.
Is Braden Lamborn just a junior though, or is he a senior? Aiden?
[00:14:24] Speaker C: I believe he's a junior.
Yeah, I believe he's a junior.
[00:14:28] Speaker D: The two Evansville boys will be joining you next year.
[00:14:31] Speaker C: Yeah, and that's pretty cool that they're. They're two, you know, pretty, pretty close best friends, you know, going to be rooming together next year. I think that's a cool dynamic for sure.
[00:14:41] Speaker A: Do they have a bucket hat for Luke already with the Ball State Cardinal on there?
[00:14:45] Speaker C: Oh, they better, they better.
He loves to rep the bucket hat.
[00:14:49] Speaker A: He does. That's when I first Started doing this whole Instagram page and stuff. That's how I recognize Luke. And then he shows up to a tournament wearing a normal hat and I didn't even recognize him where I was at the event. So it was, it's like something was wrong with Luke that day or he lost his hat. So. But then you can't stop forgetting to mention Caleb Schneider going to IU next year. So again, we've got five D1 players coming out of that regional and I think if you're playing it at mid level, high level D1, you've got a chance of having a strong two day tournament here at Prairie View. And then when we head over to Regional 6, I there's not as many top players coming out of there as we have in some of the other regionals. But we have Blaine Beckert. We've been trying to figure out do we ever finalize where Blaine's going next year?
[00:15:34] Speaker D: Yes, he is a preferred walk on at Florida Gulf coast according to his coach.
Just a few hours ago I had seen that somewhere and then you and I, Trent, were both looking for the article and it was stuck behind paywalls. But yeah, Blaine is. It seems like he's going to play down in Florida.
[00:15:50] Speaker A: Smart choice. Why would you stay up here in the cold weather when you could go down south? Don't know too many guys out of that regional. I know that we have some strong players out of Center Grove. Center Grove is going to be a strong team and we'll talk about teams here in a second. But I think individually, I think Blaine might be one of our top spots and we've got some other good players out of there. Noah Reed, Nathan Springer, Brady Holar and Breck Monty also came out of that one. But I know that again, a lot of talent coming in. And as you kind of mentioned to me the other day, Nate, is this the golden era of Indiana high school golf? And it might be right now, and I think we're talking to the guy that's the beginning stage of the golden era of Indiana golf. But we do have a lot of guys graduating this year that are part of that. So over the team side, who are some of the teams that stick out to you guys right now going into this championship?
[00:16:40] Speaker D: Okay. Yeah. So Trent, it feels like we keep talking about Homestead and Westfield at the top and every time it kind of comes back to those two.
I think Evansville north has in theory the firepower at 12 with two guys who can shoot in the 60s. I think that's pretty important.
If you're going to have a chance to make a run at either of those two powerhouses in Homestead and Westfield, I think you have to have two guys who at least have the game to get it into the 60s.
I do think it's interesting, though, that I think it's just because Evansville north shot that 285 that we're just not looking at Castle's 292 there in that regional. Castle, early in the year especially, they put some numbers on the board in big fields that were pretty interesting and impressive, frankly.
So I think there's some teams that could maybe make a run at it. I think it's going to be kind of a race to see who those fourth and fifth teams are, I would say. And from a coaching standpoint, you know, I'm coaching at Yorktown and we're obviously not at the state finals, but I think sometimes you almost have to say, look, we're not as good as Homestead. Let's try to finish in the top five.
Because I think there are a lot of really, really quality programs that other seasons would have a chance to win a state title. But I really think it's going to be tough to overcome Homestead and Westfield at the top unless you just put together two incredible days of golf.
[00:18:03] Speaker A: And that's why I don't count out Zionsville, because Zionsville had a good appearance at the state preview and obviously being the returning state champions, yeah, they lost a player, but then they picked up Mack. And Mack is one of the top three freshmen in the state. I said, beginning of the year, he's probably your freshman of the year and he's gone out. And he's played quite well at many tournaments, included the 63 that he had in the second round down there at the Shape tournament.
[00:18:26] Speaker D: So familiarity with the golf course, there isn't nothing.
And obviously Coach Wood there is somebody who's done it as a player and a coach, so he certainly speaks those guys language.
You're right. We can't sleep on Zionsville.
[00:18:39] Speaker A: No. So I think that's some of the additional teams that you have. And again, there's a lot of teams that could show up and surprise you. And I think there's some of those outside chances. I mean, again, Carmel is one of those teams that they're familiar with the course and charts got him through the sectionals at second. He got him through regionals at second. And when you're going into state, if you know the course and you got players are all shooting around those mid-70s, that's the thing that sticks out to people when you get to that level. So I'm still not going to count out Carmel at this point just because Chard would call me if I don't mention him.
[00:19:14] Speaker D: I think, like, I think in theory, Noble still has players who have played varsity golf for a really long time, and that's a group that is super, super united.
Coach Deacon has done a great job with that group, and they're skilled. They have a whole lot of talent. They might not have. It might not seem like they have kids who can shoot in the 60s, but they have five really, really, really good golfers. So if there's a team that maybe stumbles. Coach Bryant was talking about how a couple years ago his team just couldn't recover after the first nine.
If one of those two or three teams at the top has a nine holes like that and can kind of bring a team like Noblesville into the championship, that team has enough experience that I do kind of consider them a little bit of a dark horse.
[00:20:02] Speaker A: Absolutely. I agree with you. And I think the same thing on the south part of the state or since they came out of the south part of the state. Center Grove is another one of those teams that they're united and they get along quite well and all their players are right there, anywhere from 70 to 76 every time they come out and play. So those are the things you have to look out for.
[00:20:20] Speaker C: Yeah, I totally agree there.
[00:20:22] Speaker D: And Coach Hoover and Coach Rodman are two the best to do it. You know, they've. Honestly, that team, they had, I don't remember the exact year, 2018, that back nine they put together to overcome Carmel, I believe it was. I think they shot 137 or something absurd on the back nine to win the state championship that year.
Center Grove is a team that's done it before and, and they returned five varsity players with a ton of experience. And again, I think that chip on the shoulder is. Is not nothing.
[00:20:48] Speaker A: Aiden. Last question before we let everybody go here for this portion of the podcast.
What has made Prairie View special for you over the years? Obviously, you won state, but you've had four great years there when you played. What made that place so special?
[00:21:02] Speaker C: I. I really just thought that it was an amazing, great golf course.
And I, I really like knowing that it was going to be there for all of my four years. I kind of like set off in the beginning to really, like, learn and know as much about the golf course as possible.
I think it's great because it's really especially on the par fours. There's par fours that are super demanding, and then there's par fours with options. And then if you look at all the par threes, all the par threes are super demanding. Pretty much just looking to get hit at the middle of the green and make pars on those.
So the thing that was, yeah, special about Prairie View is that it definitely just overall as a golf course, has a ton of different options and things that you can do. I really dove into learning the golf course, knowing kind of what strengths of my game would fit into it, and also learning and thinking from the point of view how, like, just how individually can I come out here and give myself, Myself the best chance to contend every year?
Which, yeah, that. That was. That was the whole mission and goal.
A lot of. A lot of times just missing the right spots, taking advantage when you can, and then the rest just leave it up to your putting. Try and make wholesome putts, make some birdies type of thing.
[00:22:22] Speaker A: Absolutely, Nate. Anything else before we go here?
[00:22:26] Speaker D: I. I think I'm good. I think I'm good. It's been enjoyable. Trent, thanks for having me. Aiden, I'm excited to have you at Ball State.
[00:22:32] Speaker A: Yeah, thank you.
Well, yeah, both of you gonna be a Prairie View at all this week.
[00:22:39] Speaker D: I'll be there both days. I'm a gym rat. I can't get away.
[00:22:44] Speaker C: I. I think I might be able to make it one of the days. If I can, I'll try and make it for the final round. It'd be pretty cool to watch.
[00:22:49] Speaker A: Yeah, there's going to be some great golf there. And I think that's what I think people in the state, hopefully they realize is when you talk about the players that are there, four of them are currently ranked in the top 100 in this. In the country. And then you have a couple of them right out that number 100. And when you're talking about six players being some of the best junior golfers in the world in our state, that just kind of tells you where junior golf is in Indiana right now. And you're one of the guys that led the way to get this going. So thanks, thanks for your time and glad to have you back in Indiana.
[00:23:23] Speaker C: Yeah, thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
Thanks. See ya.
[00:23:29] Speaker A: When it comes to yardage books, the best one we have found to be is Strack of Line. Strackline offers a couple different versions, but their green reading portion of their yardage books is definitely the best. So what we did was partner up with Path for Success.
Lauren over there went out and got us a discount code.
So we have a 20% discount code with strike align. That discount code is path for success.
P A T H F O R E Success.
Thanks Lauren and Carrie for getting that done for us.
Everyone, right now. Next on the show we have Josh Bryant, the Westfield Shamrock boys coach fresh off the regional title up at Coyote Crossing where they were seeing coaches watching the U.S. open during the rain delay. But we have Josh joining us. And Josh, real quick, talk to me a little bit about the dynamic of this team and what makes them so special this year.
[00:24:34] Speaker E: Yeah, Trent, thank you for having me on.
It's, it's been fun to listen to you this year and listen to the boys talk about, listen to the players, get their perspective. So yeah, we, we've had a, you know, obviously a really strong year and having everybody back, you know, last year, if you take our top, if you take our top eight, seven of our eight are back.
And you know, currently in our, in our lineup we do have one, one player, one new player in the lineup through some jockeying or whatnot, but it's a very experienced team.
You know, Jake and Will, obviously four year starters. We don't typically get much of that at Westfield to have two guys that have been in the lineup since day one. So although last year we were the youngest team at the state finals, still with a lot of experience and this year's team, it's been, you know, we've just kind of been focusing, you know, like you talk about, just get, trying to get a little bit better all the time focusing on, you know, both individual goals. I mean we talk at Westfield about what's good for the individual is good for the team and what's good for the team is usually good for the individual and, and those guys, you know, like anything we've, you know, we've known each week that we go, we've, I, I, we pride ourselves, Every event we've gone to, the host school has paired their, their team with us. And I tell the guys, hey, that's a, you know, that's something you should be proud of. You know, when you go to a place and, and the host school wants to play with you and you know, we've had some incredible scores. We've set two school, you know, two school records this year with 277 and then 276, you know, and the guys have, you know, they've, they're not afraid to take it deep and, and we play pretty tough setups too. So. That's been, been kind of fun to watch.
And you know what's been great is that the, the level of play around the state of Indiana with teams from, from Evansville north to Homestead to, you know, all the centrally Indiana teams. Zionsville Carmel is on the, on the come up.
Garen obviously during the regular season was really strong.
Those guys are really, you know, have really pushed us and you know, it's been, it's been a really competitive season.
So really just proud of the guys for their effort during events and you know, and trying to set school records. We're not afraid to talk about what those numbers are and I think that's, you know, we're not, we're not going to places trying to hold on to something. We're trying to win. And you know, Ryan Caesar, you know, our juniors, Ryan Caesar Mitchell and, and Hudson Kuchma, you know, have really bought into kind of, you know, you know, the work ethic that, that they've seen with the guys in front of them. I mean Will and Jake's work ethic is obviously why they've gotten to where they are, you know, and the seniors from 2023, when these guys were freshmen, I mean they watched Alex Caesar and Cam Coy just work their tails off all the time. And then we're a byproduct of all those things and not to mention tons of other guys too.
[00:27:57] Speaker A: So what have been some of your favorite trips this year with the team?
[00:28:02] Speaker E: Yeah, so you know the boys.
So Sultan's run is meant. Was a, was a fun trip and you know we, we did an overnight to go down to Adam Shakes event and you know, it was kind of a little bit of a shame that the, you know, they had that winter kill down there and so, you know, I think that took away a little bit from the event.
Once the guys got playing though, I mean it was, I mean the greens were fantastic and but you know, getting a chance to play 36. Adam was great with the guys trip to Glendaran Hills.
You know, Jake was gone at the us at the US four ball.
So we did something we don't normally do. We sent the seniors to one event. We took all the underclassmen to Glendaran. And that was just a riot for, you know, letting those guys without any seniors on the bus. I mean you get to know some personalities when you.
So the team's going to kiss. It's going to be fun. Well after this year, but.
And you know those are great tests. I mean, I don't know if you've been up to Glendaran, but, you know, that golf course is fantastic. Green complexes are tough and you know, so it's.
Those are a couple of fun ones. And then, you know, obviously when you play well, the boys will tell you, you know, the Woodland Invitational where, you know where they shot, where they shot 277 and then, and then Rock Hollow, you know, that kind of, I'm not going to say it came out of nowhere, but, you know, we got back at 11 o' clock from, from the shank and back in the bus at 6:00am and you know, I think they were tired enough. They just, you know, halfway through the round were like, oh, crap, man, we're really getting it done today. And so, yeah, those have been some fun, fun days for us.
[00:29:48] Speaker D: Hey, Josh, I got a question for you. Actually, I just was looking at the hole by holes of your team at Coyote Crossing. And that's not a golf course that I'm super familiar with, but I just was noticing obviously it's a team that shot, like you said, below 280 twice, which is just unbelievable.
But the 294 score, I gotta imagine you're pretty proud of that. Your team made, if I counted correctly, 10 birdies. But I was looking at Will and Jake's cards specifically.
Will Harvey made 16 pars, parred every hole in the back nine.
And then meanwhile, you were talking about Hudson. Hudson made four birdies on the back, the back nine specifically. I heard from multiple coaches like, that is a challenging nine holes of golf. Could you just talk about that a little bit and how your guys approach that back nine in the heat of a regional title?
[00:30:37] Speaker E: Well, I'll tell you what, so I am, I mean, I'm a huge advocate of Coyote. I love, I mean, Coyote. Coyote could easily host state championship if they had the, if they had the right amount of parking. I mean, the setup is fantastic.
So there, there are two stretches on that golf course and, and I think because 1 and 2 are fairly gettable holes, that the front nine doesn't get its due.
But I'll tell you what, you get into 4 through 4 through 8 on the front nine and you're not golfing your ball. I mean, you're, I mean, you're, it's a, you're a 42 or 43 waiting to happen on the front. The back.
I kind of describe the back similar to, like, if you start on the front, I feel like the back is slightly easier because you're settled into your round. Because, you know, I mean, 10 and 11 are placement holes, and 10. 10's a very, you know, it's a. It's a very tough hole for. It's a lesson driver for most of the boys, but you got to hit it far enough. If not, you know, you got to play something around. There's a looming tree on the right side, so you really. I mean, you've got to get it down there to 220, 230, or else you gotta. You gotta play something flighted around the tree, and that's kind of tough.
Green complex is big.
And then, you know, 11.
The green. The. The green complex is challenging enough on 11 that, you know, like, you can have a wedge in and end up 3. Putting. If you're on the wrong side, you know, if it's the right pin and you happen to be on the left side of the green, I mean, you're gonna have to make a five or six footer. I mean, and that's, you know, when you're under. Under the gun, those, you know, I mean, you just find your way to bogeys really fast. And.
[00:32:27] Speaker A: Yeah, Josh, I think extremely narrow, too.
[00:32:30] Speaker E: Oh, green's narrow. And it's a big slope. Front to back or. Sorry, back to front. And then 12, you know, 12.
Fairly open tee shot, but you can't hit it left. And then the, you know, the approach on 12, you know, the. The layup on 12 is not easy because you're kind of. It's kind of like a mini 14. At Prairie View 13, we have found the par 313 to be you. If you don't hit the green, you're making bogey. I mean, it's pretty. It's. And it's hard to, you know, was. Bang. It was playing 192 yesterday, and we were kind of getting to 13 when the. When the. When the real rain was starting to come in. And then 14 is. I mean, you got to hit two great golf shots, and there's a lot of. There's a lot of trouble in 14. Nate 15's yeah, I mean, I can just go. I mean, it's a great back nine, and you got to really control your. You got to control your golf ball all the way through. And. And the regional setup is.
They've made a decision there that stretched the golf course out. I. I'm a huge advocate of that. It. You know what? Like, let's. Let's give the best test we can to determine the best three teams. And, you know, it has not disappointed, so, you know, 294. So we shot 292, two years ago. And that was one of the best days of golf Westfield, that in my time. I mean, that. That regional performance was.
I mean, it was unbelievable. I mean, last year we won with 309. That's how difficult last year's play was.
And as you saw, you know, the. The golf course was soft enough for the first 12 holes that it lost a little bit of its teeth. So that's. You didn't really see maybe the scores drifting above 310. But had that. Had it not been misting early in the round, I mean, I could easily have seen, you know, us being closer to 300 and maybe some of those other scores being closer to 310 just because the course is tough. I mean, it. It's tough.
[00:34:32] Speaker A: So, Josh, I've seen that course several times, And I would 100% agree with you. And you were talking about even number nine. If you don't hit that tee shot perfect off of number nine, you're positioning yourself for a bogey automatically on that par five. So it's. It's a tough course.
[00:34:48] Speaker E: I think I've seen. I think I've seen more other scores on nine, others being double, triple, whatever without a penalty shot than any par 5 I've ever seen. I mean, we. You know, I mean, we had a double yesterday. No penalty. Hit it right, punch it down. You punch it down. And then. And then you punch. You don't punch it down in the perfect spot. So then you start to hit another punch shot because you got trees on the left and right with a overhanging creek. I mean, nine is. Yeah, it's a. It's a. You know, and now it also rewards a good golf shot, too. I mean, you know, and it's a. I think a great golf hole is one that can give you a three and give you a seven. I mean, that's a. I mean, that's a great golf hole. So we're eight. Eight.
[00:35:34] Speaker D: Eight or higher on nine. It looks like JB on Friday on the golf course, there were eight eights or higher on the ninth hole of your regional.
[00:35:42] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:35:43] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:35:43] Speaker A: The one great thing, Nate, is you haven't seen that course, and I think Josh mentioned this earlier, is the two finishing holes are perfect for spectators that you can be setting up in the clubhouse on the deck and watching players come in. And I don't think there's too many courses across the state that these kids get to play at. Woodland being one and this one being the other, where if you could choose, like Josh Said earlier a place to have a big state event.
Those are the types of courses you want to be at because the fans can watch everything coming in. So it's, it's one of the top regional courses, in my opinion, that we have out there.
[00:36:20] Speaker E: I. Yeah, I were, you know, obviously the test is very difficult there. I feel very fortunate. I mean, I mean, you know, our playoff path of Ulin, which is a fantastic golf course, challenging. And then Coyote. I mean, we, we are, you know, we are very fortunate to be able to. To play the venues that we were able to. I mean, it's. And not everybody gets to do that, so we don't take it for granted.
[00:36:48] Speaker A: Now, speaking of venues, the next one at the state championship Spring Prairie View. I know your team's familiar with that course, but what makes it different for state that you're preparing these guys for going into your practice rounds? Well, your practice round that you get.
[00:37:05] Speaker E: Yeah. So, you know, you know, it's funny that purview.
So, you know, the times in which we play preview quite a bit, you know, is really before the Prairie View season gets going. So. So the Prairie View that we know and that we play in April and you know, we haven't been on Prairie View since.
Since the preview. No different than anybody else.
And, and so the golf course in June is always, you know, completely different.
You know, what we'll be looking for is, you know, and obviously the. We've had some moisture today and more in the forecast is are we going to play a soft golf course which is going to. It'll. It mean. That'll mean it'll be a little similar to kind of the setups that we've had so far this year.
Most years when we go out to the, to the preview, I mean, we're, we're looking at that golf course trying to almost with brand new eyes on what, what, what. What are we doing, especially on 16, 17, eight, you know, five.
You know, with the amount of firmness that you get, I mean, you're hitting completely different golf shots. I mean, you're going from hitting drivers in three woods to, you know, I mean, for a lot of our guys, three and four irons off tees.
You know, in Prairie View, there are certain holes out there that kind of take driver away from you from the setup. You know, just when it gets firm and you got to know that. So, you know, Monday we're going to be. We're going to be looking for that. I'm going to guess it's going to be soft on Monday, just with the weather, and we'll just kind of have to make it, you know, we'll have to play it by ear. We played Ulin in a practice round soft.
We talked about, hey, it's going to be completely different. Well, ended up raining Sunday night, so we kind of lucked out that. That Yulin was. We played our practice round exactly in the same conditions.
Coyote, it played similar. I mean, it was actually a little more firm in the practice round than it was yesterday, but I think it's a little easier to adjust from firm to soft than it is to adjust from soft to firm.
So, you know, and out.
Don't get me wrong, I. I mean, those guys, the. The superintendent at Prairie View is. I don't know. I mean, he's been there since 20, 18, 19. I can't remember what year he has enough experience. Like, he'll get the green sped up. I mean, everybody's concerned about, well, can it. You know, And I'm like, oh, they'll be just fine. They'll get those suckers.
Unless it just rains a ton Tuesday morning. They'll be. They'll be moving, which will. Which will be good. I mean, it. Such a great test. I mean, it is.
It. It. You have to have a team that can golf their ball, or else you're not getting around Prairie View. You can't fake it for two days. So.
[00:39:52] Speaker D: Hey, Josh, I haven't been fortunate enough to coach there as often as you have at the state finals, but I like to go and I watch both days because I love golf. I like catching up with coaching friends like you.
And one thing that always blows my mind, 4 and 6, specifically. Can you just talk about coaching your boys to play those two holes? Because it feels like every time I'm there, way too much of the field hits the ball right on four and. Or six.
And every time I watch it happen. I'm not talking fives. I'm saying, like, good quality players.
Get it right. And I'm just thinking, what are you doing?
Can you just talk? Like, how do you get your guys to approach, especially four, I guess six, probably more inexcusable, but four is a tough hole.
[00:40:41] Speaker E: Yeah, it. You know, I think as a spectator and. And, you know, in the days when four, you know, the last. Last year, they didn't move it on the back tee box. But, you know, we. We talk a lot about our. Our preferences to play four from the back tee box because it's a more open golf shot visually.
You know, you have it. You know, because The. The. The left tee really wants to aim you right just a little bit.
And, and you know, to be frank, like, you know, for most. For most kids, you know, if you got 190 yard golf hole, okay, the 70, 75 to 80% of the state is hitting, you know, you know, at least a mid iron in. And, you know, so what tends to happen when grip pressure gets tight and I'm hitting mid iron in? Well, I mean, I'm gonna. I'm gonna push it right a little bit.
You know, we, We.
We talk as much as we can in the, in the practice round, and just in general about four.
You know, I'm sure every other coach gives the same advice. Say we're picking a target that is, you know, if we're taking less, we're taking less club than. More club and picking a target to, you know, the front middle to front left of the green. But. But the kids will tell you that if you miss left of the green, it's an. It's a really difficult up and down. And so it's not easy as we think. Oh, well, you know, your miss is left and just hit it over there and. And whatnot. I've seen as many double bogeys from that left side than I have. I mean, I've seen more up and downs from the right rough than I have though, than. Than left.
[00:42:16] Speaker D: Yeah, get it up in the rescue. It's no good.
[00:42:18] Speaker E: You know, it's. You know, it's funny, Nate, is that we've actually six.
If there's any wind at all.
Our kids have a harder time on six than they do on four, believe it or not.
And it's A lot of it is you can't feel. You just can't feel the wind. So then you got to trust. You got to trust your yardage book you. If you got a coach on the. On the tee box, you got to trust that, hey, he's telling you the right thing, even though you can't feel the wind.
And. And what you'll see is depending on the wind direction, you know, you'll see a lot of balls long on six, and that's dead.
And then, you know, um, and it. It just. Yeah. So they're both.
They're both that stretch of 4, 5, and 6. I mean, you know, like, Prairie View welcomes you to the golf course and kind of lets you feel good about yourself for three holes. And then it says, all right, now it's. Now it's time to play some golf.
[00:43:14] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've Seen it. So I've seen it firsthand, and you're exactly right, Josh. It's this first three holes are fine, and then you get to four, and then you're like, okay, if you get through it, then the five, six, you're feeling okay. Then you get through eight, you're like, okay. Now I'm at number nine, and if I don't put that T position in the right spot with my ball, I just made number nine difficult. Depending upon where that pin placement is behind the water.
So Prayer View is no easy task. I don't know if there's a better course in the state I could have stayed at, and I'm a true believer of that. And I think it's a great test and it's a great location and it's a great course.
[00:43:50] Speaker E: Mm.
It has, you know, I mean, it identifies the best team. I mean, it really does. And, you know, there's always a lot of talk about it's always in the same spot. And that gives teams in Central Indiana an advantage. I mean, you know, I would say there's been plenty of teams that have been outside it, that it has identified the best team over the two days every single year. Whether that's been a Central Indiana team or it's been a team outside of Central Indiana. It is. Yeah, it's a great. It's a great test of golf. You just. You can't.
Yep, yep.
[00:44:29] Speaker A: I don't know where else in Central Indiana you could have it.
[00:44:31] Speaker E: Right.
[00:44:31] Speaker A: And the state needs to be in Central Indiana because it wouldn't be fair to the teams up south or down south if the state tournament was at Warren up in Notre Dame. Now they have a six hour drive to get to the state championship. So, yeah, it has to be in Central Indiana, and it has to be the right course, and it has to be a course where it's great for spectators and Prairie View is great for spectators.
[00:44:53] Speaker E: Yeah, I've always said in. In Central Indiana, I think that, I mean, Brickyard's probably the only other one that would give a good. It would be very similar. But you got to have the golf course, has to want to have the event, and, you know, that's about it.
[00:45:06] Speaker A: I mean, there's a Brickyard would have parking.
[00:45:10] Speaker E: Right?
Yeah. So you never know. Maybe it'll, you know, things are always things. Things can always change. And, you know, there's a new dynamic at Prairie View, and this will be their first chance to really, you know, see what the state finals is. And, and, and I think it'll wet their whistle to how great the event can be. And you know, it may not be perfect this, this time, but you know, I think it'll, you know, I think that there's a desire for, for it to be good. And so it'll be, you know, with all the construction they have going on, I think they've made some, some changes that will, you know, it'll look a little bit different with outside bathrooms while they go through their, you know, their construction project. But I think all in all spectators are going to show up and maybe outside of their clubhouse being different, like it's going to be a similar feel and you know, they're going to be there, they're there for their player and they want to get around the golf course and cheer them on and, and you know, the magnitude of the event is always, you know, I just, I love that Indiana makes it a premier event and it just doesn't happen in many states. You know, I think Texas might be one of the only other ones where you feel like, you feel like it's a major. And I appreciate that we do that.
[00:46:30] Speaker A: Correct. We. I mean, you heard me talk on the podcast with Lauren in the past where she came up for the girls state last year and flat out we went to dinner on Saturday night and she's, she's just calling people up, bragging about, I've never seen anything like this with a state tournament. And for the girls side at least it felt like an LPGA tour event to her. And I think even with the boys, it has that similar feel of having a major like a championship PGA feel to it. And the players feel that as well. And that's something we talked about as well too, is being a two day tournament. It's not just that one day a player can go out that we haven't heard of having a great day in win state. It's, this is a two day event. The pressure is a little bit different.
Talk a little bit about that pressure for the players.
[00:47:20] Speaker E: Yeah, you know, I think when you, I don't know when I started doing this a bazillion years ago, you know, you, you try to just say, hey guys, it's another event and you know, you know, put it all aside. And then as you go through, you're like, you know what? You have to embrace that it is that you have to embrace it for what it is.
And, and the pressure is real and it's real for everybody.
So, you know, we've tried to just focus on everyone's feeling it, you know, and, and so what does that mean, you know, so, you know, we try to do things during the year and talk about, all right, hey, when, when the heartbeats racing, like what is it? Like what's our process? What are we noticing when, you know, when you don't feel like you're going fast and you're thinking fast. So you know, we just, we encourage the guys over and over and over. Simple things like mark every putt sounds weird, but even a one footer, mark the putt.
And especially if you've got to put your hands on the golf ball, meaning maybe you hit one in a hazard something, you know, you're taking an unplayable.
You know, we really, you know, we focus on those moments maybe the most because oftentimes that's the difference in maybe a bogey and a triple. And it's really that decision that's made after that one. You know, I mean, you're going to have errors. I mean it happens everyone, you know, I mean, maybe once in a while a guy gets through or a girl gets through two days of, of of not having a bad shot.
But I can tell you, I mean we've, I've walked next to multiple state champions and neither, neither any didn't get through unscathed. There's always a moment in that golf tournament that you've gotta, you've got to settle yourself down and, and when you're in it on the team side, it's, you know, it's, it's magnified and, and we just tell them we trust them, you know, and, and you can't be everywhere with everybody. And usually in the state finals, you know, ultimately, you know, you're playing a little triage in some event in some and some stance and then others you're just, hey, you know what our plan of attack is? You know, here's where we're going to have some support and, and we'll, and, and you know, just trust. It's easy to say, but you know, you just got to trust what you've been doing all season and trust your teammates. It's, it's, it's easier said than done. But the teams that, that, that get along the best while they're out there and supporting each other usually are there on the back nine on the second day and because that's all you got, you know, other than a bunch of spectators, you know, and so you have.
[00:50:05] Speaker A: Anything else for him?
[00:50:06] Speaker D: Hey, yeah, actually, I don't mind to break this news if Josh hasn't heard it yet, but congratulations Region 3. Coach of the year, Josh Bryant.
[00:50:15] Speaker E: Oh, boy, did that come across your desk there?
[00:50:18] Speaker D: Yeah. So first. I mean, I love that Coach Hoover started that up three years ago.
I was fortunate enough to win it, and I just. I just saw it come across my desk. Man, what a super, super deserving. You've never been anything but wonderful to me as a person and a coach. And like Trent and I discussed on the last show, you're in it for the right reasons, man. You're helping these kids. You're using the game to. To grow young men. I've heard you talk about that on multiple occasions, Josh. So I just want to say, you know, you're my friend, and congratulations on the success. Thank you. And good luck Tuesday and Wednesday, I'll see you there, give you a hug, and let you get to work.
[00:50:57] Speaker A: Josh, I'm excited for you. I don't. I mean, how could you not give Josh region coach of the year number one? But number two, the. One of the things I've always told people is how special the coach is Josh Bryant when he has a player make it to the US Women's Open, and when she gets to choose who her caddy is and she chooses Josh Bryant to be her caddy, what's that tell you about what Josh means to his players today, tomorrow, and in 10 years from now? It's what he's done to build that program, and what he does for his players is far superior than what we see across the state. And, Josh, that's why I look up to you, and I wish you well these next couple of days, and I'm hoping you're there on the podium. So we look forward to seeing you guys play.
[00:51:46] Speaker E: Well. Appreciate that. Those nice, nice words. And I will say that, yeah, you.
You get honors when you have good players, and we certainly have.
We're a byproduct of both sides. We try to match the commitment that those young men and. And ladies do. So. But, yeah, those words mean a lot. I appreciate. I respect both of you guys for the things that you're doing. So, yeah, I appreciate that. Thank you very much.
[00:52:13] Speaker A: Thanks, Josh.
[00:52:14] Speaker E: Yep.
[00:52:15] Speaker A: All right, special thanks to Josh Bryant from Westfield joining us, and Nate McClung joining us from Yorktown. And everyone, just as a reminder to follow our Instagram page from the cart path, we are also on TikTok as from the Cart Path, you can also find us on X, Twitter, whatever you still call it.
And we also have our Facebook page all called from the CART Path. Thanks, everyone.
Next on the podcast, we have Braden Miller, the 2024 IHSAA state champion. Braden is recently coming off the regional championship up at the Warsaw regional shooting a 66 at Stonehenge. And Braden, first, let's just say congratulations on the regional championship. I know you are proud to get that after your sectional performance. Performance. Talk to me a little bit about your regional day.
[00:53:12] Speaker F: I mean, let's start with sectional. So I shoot 75 on, on Friday and like a lot of people already kind of running their mouth about how no way I make it out of regionals. No way I make it out like make it to state or anything. So it's just like, it's one of those deals where I have one bad round and a lot of people are already like kind of writing me off a little bit.
So I kind of just, I worked really, really hard from the that Friday night to Wednesday night, the night before sectional or reading the night before regionals. And if I wanted to play well at Stonehenge and if I wanted to make it out, I had to hit fairways.
And that's what I worked on. What was it was my driver. And I missed one fairway the whole day at regionals. And that set me up in really good position in the fairways to attack a lot of those tucked pins.
I mean, it's not, it's not an easy course. I mean, if you miss it, if you miss it five yards at Stonehenge, I mean, you, you're, it's running back down a hill and you're going to have a 40 foot putt coming back up the hill and you're going to struggle for a two putt par.
So I mean, distance control had to be on and you had to hit the shots that were required. And that's, that's what I did.
[00:54:18] Speaker A: Nice. I know. Your dad mentioned to me, he sent me a text and said it was some of the best ball striking es seen out of you in some time.
What changes did you make over the weekend to make that happen?
[00:54:31] Speaker F: I didn't really think I changed anything. I just kind of put in a little more work than what I had been, I feel like, because I mean, I was kind of slouching a little bit, like throughout this year. I mean, just with high school golf going on, I'm just not, not practicing as much as I would have liked to. And then kind of after that section was performance, it kind of opened my eyes a little bit and kind of, I mean, kind of scared me a little bit. I mean, some fear, some doubt crept in of me not making out of regionals. And I didn't want to be that embarrassment.
So, I mean, yeah, I wanted to make it out.
[00:55:05] Speaker A: One of the interesting things is if you go back and look at all the individual state champions over recent history, it's never been the easiest route. Something's happened along the way to force you to fix that game, to get it prepared for state. And I think that's kind of what you found yourself in after sectionals was. Okay, now it's time to get the mind on, and it's.
[00:55:29] Speaker F: It's time to. It's time to wake up and get to work.
[00:55:32] Speaker A: Absolutely. And then you did that. And no bogeys on the scorecard.
[00:55:36] Speaker F: Nope.
[00:55:37] Speaker A: And what, five or six birdies on the day? Five.
[00:55:40] Speaker F: Par 71.
[00:55:41] Speaker A: How many putts were short that you should have had?
[00:55:44] Speaker F: Uh, well, so I sw. Okay, so I switched to a lab putter that got fitted for me. And because, I mean, I had like 40 putts and sectionals, right? And I. I just threw the Odyssey. It's actually in my room right now. Threw it in the bedroom and brought out the lab putter. And I was like this.
[00:56:01] Speaker A: That's.
[00:56:01] Speaker F: That's all I have. It's either I putt with a lab putter. I putt with a three wood, right. I. I really worked on speed control throughout the week because I. I knew that was gonna be the biggest issue because I could roll the ball end over end. I just needed to read a green and get my speed down. And I had maybe five, six footers that I left short online.
Five of them, like, not even joking. I think, like, two more rotations and it's in.
[00:56:24] Speaker A: So we're looking at a lower score at that.
[00:56:26] Speaker F: Oh, I. It could have been. It could have been 62, 61. But I'm kind of glad I didn't make every putt because, I mean, it was going to be really hard to follow up a really low score at the state finals.
[00:56:39] Speaker A: So now I know you're leaving tomorrow morning to head down to Prairie View. What's the preparation look like tomorrow?
[00:56:49] Speaker F: Well, first I'm going to get there and I'm going to see how, like, soft the course is playing.
[00:56:52] Speaker E: I'm.
[00:56:52] Speaker F: I have two wedges in my bag. I have a 4 degree bounce, 58 degree and a 12 degree bounce, 58 degree. And I mean, from the comments that have been said to me, I'm. The course is pretty, pretty wet. It's pretty soaked. So I'm probably going to put the higher bounce one in.
Gonna figure out I'M probably gonna hit a lot of pots, gotta hit a lot of putts. Prairie View is a course that a lot of people struggle with, like on the greens, around the greens. So it's gonna. It's all gonna come down to that.
[00:57:19] Speaker A: What is it about Prairie View? When you're there tomorrow with the putting and chipping, are there certain holes that you want to make sure you're focusing on with your short game?
[00:57:29] Speaker F: I wouldn't say there's certain holes. I would just say there's, like, just certain pin locations on some of the holes. I mean, hole 8, hole 8 can get pretty tough with that pin right on top of that ridge all the way on the right. But that also comes from me getting in position off the tee. So, like, if the pin's all the way on the right on eight, I gotta hit it down the left center of the fairway so I have a good angle into the pin. But then, like, if the pin is tucked left, like, day two will be, I need to play it down the right center so I have a good angle. So it's just.
It's all going to be about where I position myself off the tee and then how well I can get up and down if I miss a green.
[00:58:07] Speaker A: Tuesday morning kicks in. What is your tee time right now?
8:40. Who are you playing with?
[00:58:13] Speaker F: Kaden, Baker, Tate, guy in and some senior, I think, from Andrean.
[00:58:21] Speaker A: How well do you know those first three guys you mentioned?
[00:58:24] Speaker F: I know Kaden really, really well. So it's. I mean, I. I've played with Tate maybe once, and I've never played with the kid from Andrew, and. But me and Kaden have been friends for, I mean, quite a while, for a long time.
But, I mean, there's. I mean, my parents are already saying, like, I'm not going to play well because I'm not going to be focused, like, neither of us. But, like, I mean, obviously they're kind of joking, but kind of not.
But I mean, if. If me and Kaden stay focused, we'll be fine.
[00:58:51] Speaker A: Well, I think if anything we've seen from you in the past is when you decide to put your focus hat on what happens.
[00:58:58] Speaker F: I take it deep, I take it low.
[00:59:00] Speaker A: I think you talked about that at Boy State a couple years ago. Or was it last year when you're playing Jake? You knew you and Jake were good buddies, and that was kind of the same thing.
[00:59:10] Speaker F: And I didn't talk to him one time. Yeah.
[00:59:12] Speaker A: Yeah. So I think Kaden, if you listen to the show on your Way down.
Be prepared that Braden says hi to you, and then he talks to you when the round's over. So that's kind of how I look at it for you. On Tuesday, last year when you won state, what was the. What shape was the course in? Was it different last year than it's going to be?
[00:59:34] Speaker F: It was very, very firm. So a lot of the drives running out, and that left me a lot of wedges in. But it also, like off the tee, you got a lot of unpredictable bounces.
So, like, you could. You could hit a perfect drive, little cut right up the left side of the fairway, and it could kick straight left into some heather. It's. It's. It was very unpredictable.
The greens. The greens were very good. The greens. The greens held well. They didn't spin too much, didn't bounce too much. They. They held very well.
And I mean, I think they're under new ownership now. Since last year.
[01:00:09] Speaker A: Yes, they are.
[01:00:09] Speaker F: I haven't. I haven't been there since, so I'm kind of curious to see how. How it would look like.
[01:00:14] Speaker A: Well, first thing you're going to notice is the clubhouse is being remodeled.
[01:00:18] Speaker F: Really.
[01:00:19] Speaker A: The bathrooms are outside, so you'll get to use the bathrooms over at the driving range.
[01:00:23] Speaker F: Place nice.
[01:00:24] Speaker A: And then they'll have the driving. They'll have the outdoor bathrooms when you get there. So it's going to be a little bit of a different setup. But I could guarantee you this, the Prairie View greenskeeper is going to make sure that course is ready for you guys.
[01:00:36] Speaker F: Yeah. Good.
[01:00:37] Speaker A: So. Well, you know, Braden, as you know, I'm probably one of your top fans. I look forward to getting out there a little bit on Tuesday to watch you. Hopefully the weather holds out Wednesday.
And I were just chatting that before the show that the weather doesn't look great on Wednesday, so hopefully we can push that away.
And I may try to get over to the practice round tomorrow to see who's all out there, because I. Now, speaking of your practice round, do you have a team coming with you? Is it just going to be you and your coach or just so.
[01:01:05] Speaker F: I mean, I. As. Like, I think a lot of my team is going to come down, so last year, it was only two of my teammates that came down that really made the trip.
But I think. I mean, most of my team said they were going to come down, and a lot of. A lot of people, they're going to. They were. They said they were going to come down, so it'll be pretty cool to see all of the support down there.
[01:01:23] Speaker A: Good. Well, I hope you have a nice entourage for yourself down there on Tuesday and I'll see you then. Yeah.
[01:01:29] Speaker F: Sweet.
[01:01:33] Speaker A: Before we end the show tonight, I wanted to say thank you to Josh Bryant. I wanted to say thank you to Braden Miller, Aiden Gutierrez, and Nate McClung. The four of them have been quite generous with their time, especially on a weekend where we celebrate all of our fathers. So just want to say happy Father's Day to my dad out in Tucson, Arizona, and all the dads out there. Thanks again, everyone for listening to this special episode of the High School State Preview Show.
[01:02:05] Speaker B: Thanks for listening to this episode of from the Card Path with your host, Trent Roberts. Please be sure to like and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so that you never miss an episode.
