NEW MARKET — FOUR!
No, it’s not a misprint – Addison Meadows probably has never yelled “Fore” at a golf course.
It’s not like a lookout shout. This is a shout-out of the Southmont senior who is the Journal Review Female Golfer of the Year for the fourth straight year.
Starting with the high standards she set for herself as a freshman, Meadows maintained the top-level of success for a fourth year, putting in the work and effort it takes to stay at the top of the golf pyramid.
“I was a freshman with three seniors on my (Southmont) team the first day,” the red-head said. “Coach (Bill) Whalen said that I was playing No. 5 and would have to earn my spot. It was a little scary.”
By the end of that day Meadows was the No.1 golfer for the Mounties, and has occupied that spot since.
“She shot a 76 that day, and never looked back,” Whalen said, recounting that same encounter.
The list of accomplishments for this season warrants the Golfer of the Year award, but her body of work easily explains why this award has become hers for her entire high school career.
She was the medalist at the county meet four times.
She was the Sagamore Conference medalist three times, coming back to get the title this year after missing last year.
She was the sectional medalist four years, which made her a four-time regional qualifier. Three of those were also with her Mounties team.
She qualified for the state finals four years.
She was all-state three years, only not making it her freshman season. She finished in the Top 70 all four years, and capped off her career by finishing tied for ninth in this year’s state finals.
“The all-state awards my sophomore and junior seasons are among my biggest accomplishments,” Meadows said. “I made all-state by finishing in the Top 10 this season, but those other two years, it all depended on my body of work during the season. There are only 20 girls named all-state, and the first 10 are automatic. That meant I had to beat out nearly 2,000 other golfers in Indiana for one of the other 10 spots. Those mean a lot.”
She has meant a lot to her Southmont golf family.
“We played in 16 invitationals in her four years,” Whalen said. “She was in the Top 10 all 16. She was Top 5 in 14 of them, and she won 12. Not too bad.”
She was the leader on and off the course.
“Even with all the accomplishments she has had on the golf course I am most proud of her for the person she has become off the course these last four years and the teammate she has always been,” Whalen said. “She was always willing and wanting to help make them better.”
“It feels good to be No. 1, but golf is more than just an individual effort,” Meadows noted. “My teammates are among my best friends. They boost my confidence, and I always try to do everything to boost them, and to be their best. The best times were team things, like going to get breakfast at the Whalen’s before regionals or having them come to state. I’ve watched teammates grow up and improve, especially since it’s my last year. They’ve grown from start to finish. They are all like sisters, my family. Kelsey Thompson (Southmont teammate) is my best friend, and we were paired up at regionals. It was great.”
She got the golfing bug early.
“My mom (Jennifer) was a student at Indiana Wesleyan (where Meadows is headed) when I was a toddler,” she said. “So when she needed quiet time to study, my dad (Larry) took me to the golf course. I rode around the cart with him, and before long I had a set of plastic clubs, and Grandpa Joe (Tolin) welded me a real club. Dad and I hit balls in the back yard and with Grandpa Joe and then one day they said ‘you have a lesson with Dave Williamson.’”
The six-year-old had crossed paths with one of the biggest names in Montgomery County golf, and the two have been teacher/coach/pupil ever since.
In fact Williamson caddied for Williams at the state finals both last season and this season, and it probably is no coincidence that she shot her best rounds this year and finished ninth.
“Her success this year at the state tournament was in part due to Coach Williamson walking the 36 holes with her,” Whalen said. “Dave has played the state course, Prairie View, quite often and even caddied in the past for his son Lee in tournaments. It was a no-brainer to have Coach Williamson walk with her each day and talk about shot and club selection.”
“We got an extra practice round at Prairie View,” Williamson said. “I’ll bet she improved about 10 shots on just the 10th and 11th holes alone. I was able to provide her with the experience I had on that course, but also to help keep her relaxed. We shared some golf history, some slang and just enjoyed the moments. We bounced ideas off each other and I tried to give her some positive feedback, tried to be a buffer from all the distractions, and keep her focused. She hit the ball well, and has such a great swing. She was amazing when I saw her the first time when she was six years old. Her fundamentals and swing were the best I’ve ever seen in a girl that young.”
Williamson, who has a room full of golf trophies, and who coached sons Lee and Ryan, along with two more Southmont boys golfers to three state finalist appearances a few years ago, was the swing coach for the Mounties this season while Whalen handled the day-to-day duties.
“I always tell people our coaching staff is the firm of Williamson and Whalen,” Whalen said. “Dave is the swing doctor and I’m the psychologist. Some days I’m not sure who has the tougher job.”
Meadows took full advantage of her two coaches.
“Dave was the swing coach, and Bill was the cheerleader,” she noted. “When I was a freshman, Bill said he was never a good sports dad, so I wondered how he was going to be a good coach, but I soon learned that he so wants us to succeed, he has such a big heart for the team and for me. He is so proud of all of us. I was also grateful for all the sarcasm he and I shared.”
Williamson was the mentor.
“He’s my golf grandpa,” Meadows said. “He is such an outstanding person and role model. I am so lucky to have him as a coach and in my life. I would not be where I am today without him. He has taught me so many things. I thank God for him, and I thanked him for letting him still play golf with the people he loves. I look up to him so much. If I could be one person in the world, it would be Dave Williamson.”
Meadows owns every girls golf record at South, and will be heading to Indiana Wesleyan to play golf. There are plenty of goals.
“I hope golf can be a big part of my life,” she said. “I’m going to enter some bigger tournaments like the Indiana Women’s Open, and of course there is college. That is the next push — to work as hard as I did when I was younger and in high school and take it to the next level. I would love to play in the LPGA someday. I just know I have to be the best version of myself. My goal is to be a world-changer.
Meadows also has a friend who she compares herself to.
Samantha Brown was at Westfield and is now a freshman at Purdue,” she noted. “She has accomplished so much already and that’s the level I want to be at in college. She has qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open.”
Williams also noted another life role model, Shania Strange.
“I’m closer to her than anyone,” she said.
She also pointed to the support of her parents since the toddler days.
“The amount of hours, time and money spent is beyond real,” she said. “I can’t thank them enough.”
Both coaches also acknowledged the incredible support she received from her family.
But in the end, it was the efforts of a red-headed six-year-old, from that day until the state finals a couple weeks ago, that cemented her place as probably the best female Southmont golfer ever, and a four-year recipient of the Golfer of the Year Award.
“God gave me the abilities and the coaches, and my parents gave me the opportunities,” she said. “I hope that I will be remembered for not just my accomplishments, but also that I was a successful student, teammate and friend.”
There is little doubt of that not happening.
