Stein represents ISU golf club in Myrtle Beach at nationals

Trey Alessio

“The Road to Myrtle” was the hash tag on Twitter as well as the mentality the ISU golf club set for its competitor.

David Stein, sophomore in business, was the lone representative for the club at the National Collegiate Club Golf Association nationals at Myrtle Beach, S.C., during the weekend.

Stein wasn’t sure what to expect at the beginning of the year when he found out the ISU golf club was going to have a competitive team.

“I hadn’t played any competitive golf since high school and I was a little nervous to see how I’d perform,” Stein said.

Two regional tournaments decided if teams or individuals would make it to Myrtle Beach for the national tournament. The lowest scoring team combined out of the two tournaments, and the top-16 individuals qualified for nationals.

Out of approximately 70 people on the ISU golf club, Stein was the only individual who qualified to go to Myrtle Beach.

“We knew David would be our top guy. He played lights out,” said teammate Matt Dohse, junior in advertising. “He’s very smart at golf, and he’s good at course management. We call him our ‘dark horse.’”

Once Stein found out he was going to nationals, he went to Veenker Memorial Golf Course in Ames by himself on a regular basis to improve his game.

He finally got to test all of his practice as nationals approached this past weekend. Stein and Dohse, along with another golf club member made the trip to Myrtle Beach.

After a day of practice rounds, Stein finally was set to tee off. He shot an overall score of 162 (81-81) and finished 70th out of 24 teams and a total of 208 people.

Some other schools that made an appearance included Clemson, Georgia, Michigan and Baylor to name a few.

“I would’ve liked to do better but the overall experience was a lot of fun,” Stein said.

While Stein was playing, Dohse was watching and helping the tournament run smoothly by making nametags, driving around as a marshal, keeping track of scores on his laptop and other various jobs.

“The first day [Stein] didn’t play his best golf. I think he scored an 81,” Dohse said. “The second day he went 4-over and through 15, he finished with some bogies. But overall, I think he was just happy to be there.”

Both Stein and Dohse agree on goals for the golf club for next semester. They would both like to make nationals as a team.

With access to the Veenker Golf Course this offseason, they believe the ISU golf club has a big advantage opposed to other golf clubs as they work toward their ultimate goal, which is to grow the game of golf.