Head Coach Larry Pitts said the program expects to remain a top competitor in the district for the 2026 season by leaning on a core group of experienced upperclassmen and a new mental training regimen.
Head Coach Larry Pitts said the team is transitioning leadership to a new group of seniors and juniors following the graduation of a successful senior class. Pitts said the returning players have spent the off-season competing in regional tours and utilizing home simulators to maintain their edge.
“Owen winning the state tournament when he was a junior kind of inspires everybody else to see what, you know, if they work hard, what they, what they can do,” Pitts said. “And so he’s kind of turned that over to a couple of the other guys that are going to be seniors now, Jackson Demps, Kason Watson, both are, are seniors and I, you know, I expect big things out of them.”
Pitts said the roster features several players who have remained active through the SNEDS tour and the Crossville Junior Tour in Cumberland County. Pitts said these competitive opportunities are vital for players to gain experience before the high school season begins.
“We’ve only got two weeks before, you know, first match comes around,” Pitts said. “So we don’t have a, we don’t have a whole lot of time if you’re not, if you’re not already kind of getting ready then we’re, you know, we’re behind.”
The team utilizes the Golden Eagle Golf Club for practice and range work. Pitts said the facility’s management supports the program because they recognize that junior golfers represent the future of the sport.
“If we can, if we can do away with worrying about what happens and just worry about that we’re doing the right thing and know that we’re doing the right thing, that’s all we need to worry about,” Pitts said. “And it just kind of helps everybody to commit to what we’re doing.”
Pitts said he developed a specific mental practice routine over the winter to help players manage nerves and focus on their process rather than results. Pitts said the team began implementing these drills during their first official practice this week.
“I just think we picked up, we picked up three new freshmen,” Pitts said. “I look for a couple of those guys to, to get some, you know, earn some playing time. And it’s just everybody’s going to push everybody else. And, and I think that’s the way it should be.”
Pitts said the current roster consists of high-achieving students who also volunteer to mentor middle school golfers. Pitts said the team operates under a “student first, athlete second” philosophy.
“They understand that it’s student first, athlete second,” Pitts said. “And so everybody’s, everybody does their share and a little more and that’s, you know, that’s kind of what we need.”
