Eric Nelson of Northside Prep
The hard work has finally paid off. A few years ago Northside Prep hired a coach with a plan. He combined his burning desire and sold that to a couple athtles and the results are really starting to show. Northside Prep took their first ever CPS championhsip in boys golf. Whitney Young took second. NorthsidePRep also hopes to advance two golfers to teh state tournament for the first time in school history. Below is an article from the Sun-Times on Northside Prep golf:
Extra drive is a prerequisite for even minimal success on the golf
course. Taking over the Northside Prep squad four years ago, Chris
Oehlerking outlined a program to put the Mustangs on par with their
peers.
"We were very lucky to get Chris as our coach," Northside's Eli
Tullis said. "We have complete trust in coach with everything.
Everybody bought in to what he was teaching from day one."
Now seniors Tullis and Eric Nelson are on the verge of making
the trip Downstate. They tee it up in Monday's sectional at Glenbrook
South.
Through Oehlerking's efforts, the Mustangs have a
competitive schedule and exceptional practice facilities. They make the
40-minute drive up and back to GreenToTee Golf Academy in Glencoe,
where Oehlerking is an instructor. He said the intelligence of his
golfers translates to the course.
"Our guys have been able to accelerate the learning process,"
said Oehlerking, a native of Windsor, Ontario who played at Chicago
State. "They've trained over the winter and in the spring and summer.
We've gotten a lot of parent support which has been a big plus. These
guys are pretty focused; when you give them an assignment [in practice]
they do it."
"We spent a lot of time the last year on the mental side. Now
they understand it's not about how far you hit the ball. What are the
right decisions on the course and how you can still win even if you
don't hit the ball well."
As freshmen, Tullis and Nelson were averaging in the mid to
high 80s. Now Tullis is carrying a one handicap and Nelson is in the
mid 70s.
With the desire to play in college, Tullis worked year-round and made mechanical adjustments before the season.
"I've shortened and flattened out my swing," said Tullis, who
helped the Mustangs to their first city title along with Andrew Sonta,
Jake Leseur and Tom Brekke. "I am making a lot more birdies with my
short game. I am just more consistent overall.
"I am just starting to get the mental side of the game; knowing
which club to use at right time and the importance of playing it safe
and avoiding the bad hole. We've worked a lot on positive imagery and
that's built my confidence. I try to vision a line with the ball going
into the hole. You always want to have a positive image."
Last fall, Nelson was in position to get Downstate. But a
triple bogey on No. 17 and a double on No. 18 at the sectional left him
a stroke away.
"I realized last year I could compete with the rest of the
suburban kids," said Nelson, who scored a 33 on his ACT and also plays
basketball and runs track. "I understand now when to go and when to
pull back. Our goal was to win city and we did. Everyone on the team is
close. We all try to help each other lower our scores."
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