Most golfers are not known for having much athleticism away from the golf course. Zach Steffen is an exception.

Steffen, now a senior on the ISU men’s golf team, earned all-conference honors on the basketball court at Des Moines Lincoln High School in the winter during high school. In the spring, he led the Railsplitters to their first appearance at the state golf championship in 25 years.

He even played baseball growing up, too.

In his youth, Steffen had a sport for all seasons but he knew he had a decision to make in order to compete athletically at the next level.

“In high school, it kind of worked out that baseball and golf both couldn’t work at the same time, so I had to choose between the two of them,” Steffen said. “With basketball I just wasn’t quite good enough, so I ended up with golf.”

His choice has paid dividends, allowing him to fulfill his dream of playing for the school he had long rooted for.

Before that dream was realized, Steffen made his mark on the junior college circuit.

Not receiving much Division I interest after graduating high school, Steffen opted to go to Indian Hills Community College where he became a member of a national championship-winning team in 2011.

After a successful campaign that included five top-five finishes, his name began to pop up on recruiting radars and he piqued the interest of ISU coach Andrew Tank, a fellow Des Moines native.

“He had a good high school career; Lincoln didn’t have much of a golf history before he was there,” Tank said. “Then he had a great season at Indian Hills, winning a national championship. He was a guy we wanted to have.”

Steffen intended to return for another season in Ottumwa, but the opportunity to become a Cyclone was an opportunity he could not pass up.

Upon arriving at Iowa State, Steffen got a taste of Division I golf early, competing in four tournaments.

In his junior season, Steffen’s workload increased, making seven starts and notching career-best finishes — tied for 33rd at the VCU Shootout and the Furman Invitational — along the way.

Despite the progress Steffen made in his first two seasons, playing time has been hard to come by in his senior season. With an influx of young talent trickling in, the program’s growth exceeded the growth Steffen made in his own game.

In his time at Iowa State, Steffen has seen the program evolve from a Big 12 bottom dweller to a top 50 team. Though his name will not be prominent in the ISU record books, his work ethic and attitude have been integral to the development of his teammates.

“When I was a freshman, I was a little lost when I came to the U.S., to Iowa State. My practices were not as good as they could have been,” said junior Scott Fernandez. “I would come to practice right on time, but Zach was always there 10 minutes early. I learned a lot from his work ethic.”

Steffen, whose last start came in September, admitted that a lack of playing time has been a tough pill to swallow. Nonetheless, his work ethic did not die and is driving him toward the next stage in his playing career.

“Obviously it was a tough, trying spring season, not being able to play, but I have other things to look forward to after this season’s done because I’m going to try to play professionally,” Steffen said. “It didn’t really stop me from working hard.”

Steffen will look to follow in the footsteps of former teammate and mentor Nate McCoy, who currently plays on the PGA Tour Canada.

“This winter I might play down in the mini tours in Arizona, then I might try to play in Canada like Nate does,” Steffen said. “Just seeing that somebody you played with for a couple years has had that success and is able to do it really gives you that confidence that ‘Hey, if he can do it, why not me?’”