With a significant increase in roster numbers, a new head coach and a balanced mix of veterans and newcomers, the Wright City golf team is on the rise—and not just on the leaderboard.

Head Coach Stephen McClain, in his first season with the program, is already seeing promising strides both on and off the course.

“As a program, we have taken a big jump in the right direction on what we want to be when it comes to setting standards for the players,” McClain said. “They have to follow this set of rules to be on the team and they’re doing that, and becoming more well rounded guys.” 

McClain emphasized a shift in the program’s culture, sparked by a preseason meeting dubbed the Big Steps Initiative. 

“It’s about creating a new culture for Wright City to make people more accountable in the classroom to their sports,” McClain said. “Golf has definitely helped with that and I think golf is one of the ones leading the way in terms of expectations of how we behave in school.” 

On the course, results have followed. Wright City has placed in the top three in most meets this season. 

“A lot of the guys are fixing their irons and taking it easy,” he said. “A few of them I told them to stay in the fairway because they’ve been trying to kill it. Once they start getting in the fairway, people start playing a lot better.” 

The team’s mental approach has also evolved. 

“Some of the pressure is off a little bit and I just let them know to play for yourself,” McClain said. “You know, it’s okay to have a bad day and a little bit of a goldfish memory if they do.” 

Still, McClain sees room to grow, specifically in the short game.

“In practice, they have been taking the ball about 100 yards out from the green and starting from there or I’ll have them drop two balls on the green or two balls slightly off the green and play both. It’s just more practice and an actual situation because you do so much more on the practice green,” McClain said. 

Several individual players have also stepped into the spotlight as the season has progressed.

“AJ Wilber is starting to really impress, AJ Simon and a few JV guys have been steadily improving and Dustyn Bailey has been performing well. He’s been our head honcho so far this season. Jonathan Windmann works hard. He’ll go home and practice more and he wants to be great, ” McClain said. 

As the EMO conference and district tournaments start to creep up, McClain noted his team is ready to take on the challenge. 

“I expect us to be competitive and I think we have a few guys that can play really well for us,” McClain said.