Mental game the key to Skyline’s best state finish in over a decade

IDAHO FALLS — Most golf courses cover around 7,000 yards. But 90% of the game is played in the four inches between the golfer’s ears.

That mental course is where the Skyline boys’ team has made its most significant improvements during what head coach Tyson Bowen called a “pretty good little run” of success.

According to Bowen, Skyline finished in fourth place at the state tournament three times in the five years preceding this season. But this year’s third-place finish is the program’s best in decades.

“Part of it is just getting a little bit older, a little bit more mature,” Bowen said of the team’s improvement in its mental game. “It’s tough, once they have a bad hole or a bad couple holes, it’s sometimes easy for them to not necessarily give up but to get down on themselves.”

Within the overall team improvement, all of Skyline’s returning players this season improved on their individual scores — the product of the players’ commitment to their journey and something that has made Bowen very proud.

“They put in a lot of time, and they do care, which is evident in the results that they get,” he told EastIdahoSports.com.

The now-5A classification in boys’ golf has long been dominated by Bishop Kelly and Twin Falls — who have had a stranglehold on its top two spots for 10 years or so. This year, the Grizz not only bested Preston by 10 strokes for third place, they were within four of catching the Bruins — and actually held a slight advantage over Twin Falls during round two of the two-round tournament.

Skyline, Bowen said, was in second place by four strokes. And he found himself trying to relay that information to his players without adding any pressure or interfering with the mental battle they were already fighting.

“It was exciting,” Bowen said of his team’s finish and its drive for second. “It’s fun for me watching that, and being out there helping the kids try to finish it off. It was great.”

The Grizzlies could not topple Twin Falls this season, finishing with a team two-day total of 639 (+71) to the Bruins’ 633 (+65). But Bowen believes they are in position to keep pushing toward doing exactly that.

Skyline, Bowen said, had a few younger players — freshmen and sophomores — who consistently challenged for a spot on the five-man tournament rosters, and will continue to improve into next season.

“The future looks bright,” the coach said.