Brandon Coale has grown up -- literally and figuratively -- on the golf course.
Coale -- a four-year varsity starter for Siloam Springs -- has watched his scoring-average fall since he was a freshman playing for the Panthers in the fall of 2011. In the meantime, Coale's pants length and shoe size have gotten considerably larger since then as well.
Coale and five of his teammates will be participating Monday in the Class 6A State Boys Golf Tournament held at Jonesboro Country Club. It's the fourth state tournament he's played in during his Siloam Springs career.
"Time has really flown by," Coale said. "It seems just like yesterday I was on the bus with Jake Onnen and all them on our way to our first match as a freshman. Now we're getting ready to play my last match as a senior. It does not seem like it has been four years at all."
Siloam Springs golf coach Michael Robertson agrees that it seems like yesterday when Coale was a freshman playing for the Panthers. Back then Coale got a hard time from his teammates who kidded him about the length of his drives off the tee.
"When he came along as a ninth-grader, he was a kid that hit it straight, hit it short and was given a lot of grief for how short he hit the ball," Robertson said.
"Oh man they did," Coale said. "You can't hit the long ball. You're short. A whole bunch of stuff."
Coale had the last laugh though, even as a freshman. He led the Panthers with a scoring average of 89 as a ninth-grader. Even though he struggled with distance, he chipped and putted very well, Robertson said.
As a sophomore in 2012, Coale won the Springdale Bulldog Invitational in one of the Panthers' first matches of that season and lowered his season average to 80.
He averaged around 80 again last season as a junior, but along the way he had to deal with one of the more common changes for a teenage boy around that time of his life.
"I hit a growth spurt," Coale said. "In 10 months I went from about 5-8 to 6-3. My shoe size went from about 10 1/2 to a 14. All my sizes in my clothing changed. We made a lot of donations because nothing fit."
Those changes affected Coale's golf game because he had to make adjustments to his bigger body.
"I think it messed with some of his timing and tempo," Robertson said. "He didn't have a bad year, but he didn't quite have the jump he was looking for."
Now a senior, Coale's scoring average is around 75. And, he can hit the ball a long way, his coach said.
"He's no longer a finesse player," Robertson said. "He hits a long way. His game's really developed. He's a great student. He really understands his swing. He's had a lot of instruction and gives a lot of instruction. He's a guy that we trust not only to work on his own but to help other people, too."
Coale said there's a big difference in his golf game from when he was a freshman until now.
"I'm a much stronger competitor," he said. "My mental game's a lot better than it was. My ball-striking is as good as it's ever been. I've gotten more distance. My golf game has definitely improved over the years."
Coale said he's been playing golf since he was a little kid, but he truly got bit by the golf bug around 12 years old.
Those were the days when he'd ride his bicycle to Siloam Springs Country Club with a bag of golf clubs strapped to his back.
Coale said his dad, James Coale, and mother, Vida Thomas, have been very supportive in his love for the game of golf.
"My parents saw me playing so much golf, they decided to get me a golf cart and a golf shed," Coale said.
Coale doesn't have to ride his bike to the golf course anymore. He's got a truck now, and many times after practice or a golf match, he'll head out to The Creeks in Cave Springs for more individual work.
Coale has spent his summers playing golf as well.
This past summer, he said there were only five days he had free where he wasn't playing a practice round or participating in a tournament.
One of those tournaments was in Jonesboro. Coale said he and his family chose that tournament over one close by intentionally "just to get ready for state."
"It's very tight but it does have a lot of scoring opportunities," Coale said.
Does he ever get tired of golf?
"I've asked myself that question about 100 times, and every time before I can even get the whole question out of my brain, I say 'No,'" Coale said with a smile. "It's my true passion, and I want to do it the rest of my life."
Coale may have opportunities to play at the next level in college. He's already received a scholarship offer from John Brown and is receiving interest from University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. Coale has a strong interest in Missouri State.
"Brandon's working hard on finding a place to play," Robertson said. "He's got a little bit of interest out there. The big selling point of Brandon is his best golf is still ahead of him. He's still growing into his body and still tweaking everything. One thing I tell college coaches they should know about our kids that come out of this program is they know how to work, they work hard, and it's just the product of where they come from."
The Panthers should be in contention for the 6A State Championship, though Robertson and Coale both agree that Jonesboro is the favorite on its home course.
Siloam Springs finished fifth at the Hurricane Invitational held at Jonesboro Country Club on Sept. 20, finishing with a team score of 313, while the Hurricane shot 285.
Coale, sophomore Cody Beyer and junior Aaron Jones each shot 77 for the Panthers, while seniors Brendan Lee and Cody Casebeer shot 82 and 83, respectively.
Those five players will be the Panthers' participants in Monday's tournament. Sophomore Noah Karp will be the team's alternate.
"I think modesty is key," Coale said. "If we go around telling people we're going to bring back a ring, I think we're setting ourselves up for disaster. We need to go there, give it our all and play some golf. If another team plays better, then they play better. ... I have no doubt in my mind that we can be No. 1 if we can get our heads on straight and act like a team, I think we can make something happen."
Sports on 10/05/2014