Four questions were recently asked of Aurora golf coach Brian Cox. Here is what he had to say:
1) What part of the 2013 golf season gave you the biggest sense of accomplishment?
The first tournament, the Joplin Invitational, was the first tournament win we have had in a long time. We beat several larger schools including Joplin on their home course. That was huge in a sense that it gave us tremendous confidence going forward. Winning districts though was by far the highlight of my year and I think the boys would all agree.
2) What part of coaching golf is the most difficult?
I've coached a little bit of everything and golf, to me, is the strangest sport to coach. I've seen plenty of athletes take up a sport when they are teenagers and become very successful. Most highly successful high school golfers start playing at a young age and learn the game from a parent or a local Pro. When they get to me I can help them some, but if I'm not sure exactly how they've been taught then I can mess them up more than help them. I just try to talk them through their swing and remind them of things they've been taught in the past and the basics like their grip and lining up correctly. Golf can be very tough mentally at times and I think a good golf coach will encourage his players and try to instill confidence in their shot making abilities. Confidence is as essential in golf as in anything one might do in their life. Jack Nicklaus once said he never missed a putt in his head.
3) What, if any, changes in high school golf would you like to see?
I think MSHSAA does a good job with golf. I would love for them to extend the season a week or so. This year was a prime example of how the weather can wreck havoc on a schedule.
4) How does the golf team look for next season?
It's all going to depend on how much work the boys put in over this coming summer and fall. I can foresee some pretty good competition for varsity spots next year. Grant and Josh should be competing to win every tournaments medalists honors, and if Sawyer and a couple of the other guys can shoot in the low to mid 80's, which he came close to this year, then we will be tough to beat. Our JV schedule was hampered by the weather this year, but when given the chance to compete the JV boys did rather well. I cant say enough about how excited I was watching Grant and Josh at state. They had a few troubles, but they did so much good and handled the pressure great. Especially Grant, I loved the confidence he played with at Sedalia.
