There are very few things in life that Tony Thomas enjoys more than golf, Dr. Pepper, and Arni’s sweet tea — but coaching sports in the town of Crawfordsville the retired pastor calls home is one of them.
And his laid back mentality has rubbed off on the 2020 Crawfordsville girls’ golf team, as the Athenians will play in the IHSAA Regional on Saturday for the first time since 2009 after a third-place finish at the sectional last weekend with a round of 416.
“I think a big thing that helps is we’ve had consistent coaching for the last two years,” senior Evie Redding said. “Our coach now has been the best one so far.”
On Monday, Thomas delivered Dr. Pepper to his players at the Crawfordsville Municipal Golf Course before practice, Tuesday he organized the Athenians’ version of the Ryder Cup, and a stop at Chick-fil-A was surely to happen on Wednesday after a regional practice at Smock Golf Course in Indianapolis.
A relaxed coach and a contagious smile from him has paid dividends for the Athenians this season.
“I think it makes us a lot less stressed and when you’re relaxed you’re not as worried about playing I guess is when you tend to play better,” Gwyn Redding said. “Golf is such a mental game you really have to have a positive attitude to be playing well.”
Senior Bailey Mittal has led the Athenians all season, and was fifth overall at the sectional with a 94. The trip to the regional is her third in four seasons, but is extra special now that her team will join her.
“Going to the regional was one of my goals this year, and I was hoping the team would go to, so we met both of those goals,” Mittal said. “and I’m proud that we were able to accomplish this.”
Mittal has also helped bring along the youngest Athenians in Carli Payne and Sadie Walker.
“Whenever I’m playing with Bailey and she sees me doing something wrong, she helps me fix it and every shot after that I try to think about what she’s told me and try to use that in my swing,” freshman Carli Payne said.
And Walker, a sophomore who has had two seasons to learn from Mittal, helped seal the regional qualification on Saturday with a personal best round of 110.
“I feel like I’ve leaned on Bailey for everything,” Walker said. “The scores and teaching me how to swing and putt and the distance and the mental game of golf.”
Thomas just hopes his team savors the moment.
“I just want them to enjoy this week so much and appreciate what they’ve accomplished as a team,” he said.
Aside from Crawfordsville, the county will be well represented at the regional, with North Montgomery’s Grace Littell and Southmont’s Macie Shirk advancing as individuals.
Littell, a sophomore, fired a 104 to advance, seeing a 23-stroke improvement from her freshman score at the sectional.
“Grace’s golf swing and game have really progressed since the end of last year,” North Montgomery coach Nick Johnson said. “She is much more keen on where she is on the golf course and what iron she needs to hit in certain situations. Last year she would hit an iron because she could hit it well regardless of the distance. Now she is looking for distance markers and choosing the appropriate club. She is really starting to understand the game.”
Shirk fired a 95 at Harrison Hills last Saturday, as the Mounties will be represented at the regional for a fourth straight year.
“It is certainly different not having the whole team go to the regional but just an individual,” Southmont coach Bill Whalen said. “Still very proud to have Southmont represented for the 4th straight year.”
Shirk spent a pair of seasons learning from veteran players, and it’s starting to pay off in her junior season.
“Macie has really only learned to play golf for three years now,” Whalen said. “The improvement in these last three years is a testament to her hard work and desire to get better. She has taken five strokes off of her average each of the last two years. That doesn’t come from just working on your game during the season. That comes from playing a lot in the off season especially the spring and summer months leading up to the start of the schedule.”
