G olf — it’s arguably the most mental game ever in- vented. On a Mon- day, a good player may go out and shred a golf course and metaphorically sit on top of the world. On a Tuesday, on the same course and in the same conditions, that same player can get chewed up like a dog toy and consider the sport a new kind of four-letter word. That’s the game. You can love it and hate it ... and love it again and hate it again ... and love it ... well, you get the idea ... all in the span of a single round. Every golfer out there reading this right now is undoubtedly si-
lently nodding to himself or her- self. Longtime Gilbert boys golf coach Holly Lester knows all too well about how the mental side of the game can make or break a round and a season. That’s why she’s constantly preaching its importance, and that won’t change this spring as the Tigers expect once again to be a contender in the Class 3A landscape statewide. “We just need to go out, play, and have fun, and the team score will fall into place,” Lester said when asked about her message to her players. “In the past, I’ve gotten from some of our guys after they leave that
they play their best golf when they’re out of high school be- cause they’re only playing for themselves and they’re not wor- ried about the team. So we just really need to try to get our guys to understand that they shouldn’t think so hard over each shot. Just go play.” Lester knows though that sometimes it’s hard to avoid that pressure, particularly when you’re a part of a program as accomplished as the one that she has established at Gilbert. The Tigers have won two team state championships in 2021 and 2022. They also have a state runner-up finish under their belt (20008), and Lester’s crew has been third and fourth,
respectively, at the state tourna- ment over the past two sea- sons. Last year’s fourth-place finish came in a one-day affair at Veenker Golf Course in Ames. The second and final round was washed away by torrential rain, and Raccoon River Conference rival ADM secured the team championship. “We would have really liked to have two days, but it was pour- ing and there was no way we could have gone out to play,” Lester said. The Tigers lost three players off last year’s team to gradu- ation — Joey Currans, Ian
Front: Tyler Weber, Zane Lytle, Ryan Lynch, and Isaac Brown. Back: Logan Young- berg, John Hales, Hudson White, and Brody Hague.
38 GAME ON | SPRING 2025
SPRING 2025 | GAME ON 39
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