From hitting drives to winning championships to jumping in lakes, the White Station High School (WSHS) golf team has done it all. Ending the season with lots of success, they have beaten their competitors and achieved lower scores than ever. Each golfer has seen improvement in their individual game as well as in their team records.
“I’ve grown to really respect the sport,” Jeremy Bateman, girls and boys golf coach, said. “I love watching the golfers play… I love it when they feel that pride and accomplishment.”
Bateman describes the team’s environment as fantastic. Although golf might seem like an individual sport, he believes that the WSHS golfers have built a strong community within themselves.
“I think having such a friendly team makes a big difference in everyone’s mood and how they play,” Arden Weeks (11) said. “Coach Bateman is super uplifting and [he] is great about recognizing improvement within players.”
The WSHS golf team placed second in their district but first in the Memphis Shelby County Interscholastic Athletic Association (MSCIAA) golf tournament. Some golfers had their best performance of the season at that event. WSHS golfers were also selected as both the girls and the boys Most Valuable Players (MVP), ending the tournament on a spectacular note.
“It’s always fun getting out there early and meeting players from other schools [at tournaments],” Weeks said. “Everyone I’ve played with has been so kind.”
Golf is often described as a mental game because of the focus needed to produce quality shots and the emotional control that is used to handle frustration. Mindset is a major part of the sport. Caleb Buring (10) has learned a lot about golf this season, specifically focusing on his mental strength.
“[This season has been] really fun and educating,” Buring said. “I learned a lot about golf [and] I’ve learned to control my anger when I hit a bad shot.”
Playing a high school sport requires time-management, a growth mindset and concentration on academics because they take up so much time. The golf team specifically had to miss multiple days of school to play in the regional tournament, and then they had to make up all of that work.
“Golf requires a lot of self-discipline,” Bateman said. “It reflects in their everyday life, as well as in their academics.”
Even though this golf season was successful, there is even more anticipation for the 2026-2027 school year. The WSHS golf team is growing and is predicted to have a competitive roster, hopefully leading to another successful season. The younger players are consistently improving and the overall accomplishments of the team are increasing.
“[The players] have come a long way since last year,” Bateman said. “We’ve had a lot of the younger players stand up.”
