Entering the 2025 season, the Macomb High boys golf team has plenty of experience returning.
“We’re going to be really top-heavy I think,” said MHS coach Greg Duncan. “We have four seniors who have had quite a bit of experience.”
Those seniors are Drew Taylor, Isaac Leinbach, Toby Royer and Ethan Dildine.
Royer qualified for sectional play last season, while Taylor and Dildine missed advancing by two strokes.
Two years ago as sophomores, Royer, Dildine and Taylor were all part of a MHS squad that placed third in regional play, advancing to sectional competition.
“Those four have a lot of experience playing varsity, some not as much as others,” said Duncan. “But those four are going to be people that we are going to be leaning on.”
Of those four, Duncan looks for Taylor and Dildine to battle for the top two spots all season.
“For us to be successful, I think we’re going to need those two to be really good,” he said.
After the seniors, a number of younger players are in the mix for the lower spots in the lineup.
Among those in the mix are freshman Eli Griffith who Duncan noted is “pretty new to golf competitively.”
Duncan said that Griffith is very athletic and has got a really good swing. But he noted that Griffith has to get used to golfing against kids he doesn’t know.
“That’s typical with a lot of kids,” he said.
Duncan said sophomore Luke Chapla went through some growing pains last year as a freshman but “has come back with a really good attitude.”
Duncan has hopes of Chapla stepping in and being a constant 4-5 scorer for the squad.
Sophomores Nolan Schmidt and Sam Helling are also in the mix, though Duncan noted that neither have played a lot of competitive golf.
Another sophomore, Kollin Knupp hurt his back playing baseball this summer, but Duncan noted that Knupp has a lot of ability and has shown improvement early on. Unfortunately, Knupp tweaked his back on the first day of practice, slowing his progress.
Duncan said the team used 20 contact days over the summer, working a lot on little things, including the short game, chipping and putting.
The schedule remains basically the same as in previous seasons.
“Our schedule is very tournament oriented,” said Duncan. “It really prepares you for the postseason, which is the ultimate goal.”
Macomb placed fifth in regional competition a year ago, failing to advance to sectional play as a team for the first time since 2018. (The 2020 season was canceled due to COVID).
“I look at it as a challenge,” said Duncan. “(The program) has been very successful. When I took over, it was kind of in the valley a little bit. We had come off the peak of the mountain and kind of valleyed out a little bit. Then we climbed back up the mountain and in 2020, 2021 and 2022, we broke every school record we had.”
“Since then, it’s declined a little bit. So now it’s my job (for the program) to start climbing that mountain again,” he added. “It’s cyclical with any program. But do my expectations change? No.”
With those high expectations, the goals for the team remain lofty as well.
“My goal is to win conference, get out of regional,” said Duncan. “Yes, I want a trophy for winning regional and winning sectional. But if we get out to that level and reach that next step, then mission accomplished.”
In order to reach those goals, Duncan noted that it will be important for the players to remain focused, keeping mentally strong when things don’t go well.
“All my kids have lots of opportunities to make birdies,” said Duncan. “But it’s how they react when they make a double bogey, hit the ball in the water, make a triple bogey.”
“How do they react? Do they let that compile and one bogey leads to a double, leads to another double, leads to a bogey and then, ‘hey, I got a par,’” he added. “If we can eliminate that, cutting those double bogeys to bogeys and maybe a couple of bogeys to pars by doing little things and not trying to hit the hero shot, that’s going to be our key to success.”
“We’re going to hit it all over,” said Duncan. “They’re kids. They do. They’re not on the PGA Tour. It’s how you can best manage the not-so-perfect shot.”
“One of my key sayings I like telling my kids is that ‘golf is a game of imperfection,’” he continued. “And the person who wins nine times out of 10 is the person that manages imperfection the best.”
“Once you figure that out, you get better, quicker.”
Duncan noted the importance of his being that voice of reminder to the players.
“I think it’s just constant reminders. That’s part of coaching and building kids up,” he said. “It’s being confident with them and it’s constantly reminding them ‘hey, this is what you need to do to be successful.’ And the quicker they realize it and the more often they hear it from myself or from my assistant coaches, the more they believe it and they begin to believe in themselves.”
