New Season, New Coach
Coach Michael Zacheis enters his first season as the SCHS golf coach, looking to lead his golfers into a fun and successful GAC North Competition
Senior Golfer Olivea Garson drives from the tee at an SCHS golf match
Any time there’s a new leader in any given environment, it can sometimes be a hard adjustment for all involved. The new blood can bring about change, which can be met with mixed responses. However, first year head golf coach Michael Zacheis seems to have found his rhythm with his players, incorporating his own personal lifestyle of having fun while getting the work done into his coaching methods on the green.
“With any sport it should be fun. If it’s not, then it just kind of gets to become a job going out there every day,” Zacheis said. “But at the same time, you still want to make sure that you’re practicing and honing your skills, still being able to go out and compete and win some matches.”
Good players have become great when they are guided by the right coach. Senior golfer Olivea Garson has found the transition from one coach to another to be seamless. As she enters her final year as a part of the SCHS golf team, Garson is happy to finish her high school career under Zacheis’ leadership.
“Coach Zacheis is pretty laid back so it’s not stressful at all. His coaching makes the game enjoyable to play while still keeping the competitive aspects to it. His coaching seems natural in many areas of golf,” Garson said.
An interesting dynamic on the golf team this season is there being a first year coach leading a first year player. This is the case for senior Grant Goodwin, who is looking to add to his high school resume with a season of golf under his belt. Goodwin expressed his gratitude for having his only season as a golfer be coached by Zacheis.
“He’s a very fun coach. He makes playing golf enjoyable even when you aren’t playing the best. He’s always taking away good things that happened at practice or when we have our matches,” Goodwin said. “He always pushes you to be the best you can be.”
With the 2021 SCHS golf team, there is a general consensus that Coach Zacheis has brought a new level of fun to the sport. The jolt that Coach Zacheis has brought to the golf team this year is something that he hopes will stay in the coming years.
