When 1999 Farmington High School Athlete of the Year Jon Holmes took the reins of the boys golf program at his alma mater last spring, he made it clear to his players that future success would be directly proportional to the time spent playing over the summer months.
"We need to get more players out on the course during the off-season," he said, "Hopefully they will find the time to not only put in more rounds but also start entering competitive tournaments."
This summer Holmes led by example, finishing in a second-place tie at the Minnesota State Amateur qualifying tournament held at Bellwood Oaks Golf Club in Hastings and making the 156-player field for the state amateur played at Dakotah Ridge Golf Club in Morton July 19-21.
Holmes, who played just one year of varsity golf in high school because he was also the No. 1 singles player on the Tiger tennis team, is virtually a scratch golfer (0.5 handicap) and has played in a variety of amateur competitions in Minnesota and Wisconsin since his graduation from the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
"I don't play as much as I used to," Holmes said, "but I have found that playing in tournaments is where you really learn about your golf game. The competition is usually tougher and you have to learn to play the game intelligently.
"I'm happy to say that several of our players have been getting in a lot of play this summer. I was especially encouraged to see [FHS junior] Tommy May playing in the state amateur qualifying tournament at Bellwood. That was a great experience for him."
Holmes shot rounds of 80 and 81 at Dakotah Ridge and failed to make the cut for the final two rounds of the state amateur but said the experience was a positive one nonetheless.
"You have to remember that the best 156 amateur gofers in the state were in the tournament," he said. "I played the course the Sunday before and finished at even par but in the tournament the putting wasn't there. That's usually the best part of my game and when that isn't going, it gets tough to score."
Holmes wasn't the only Farmington connection to the 2010 Minnesota State Amateur. Sammy Schmitz, another 1999 FHS graduate and later a NCAA Division III All-American at St. John's University, fired opening rounds of 75 and 76 to qualify for the final two days of play before withdrawing because of a work commitment.
"Sammy and I live within about a mile of each other so we keep each other going," Holmes said. "Like I tell my players, tournament golf is fun and a great way to improve your game."
