Boerboom’s strategy paid off

Golfing at the state tournament is not a matter of grabbing the clubs and smashing the ball as hard as you can.
To be successful, it takes lots of strategy and planning — and then, maybe a little luck.
Minneota sophomore Nolan Boerboom had all that going for him as he stroked a 159 (36-39-41-43) that placed him in 13th place out of a field of 85 golfers representing the best in the state. 
“It should be noted that eight seniors recorded scores better than Nolan’s,” said Coach Greg Gile.
In fact, Gile called Boerboom’s performance at the state golf tournament, “A text-book demonstration of a player demonstrating the proper pre-alignments procedures before each shot on the tee box, fairway, chip shot and greens.”
  “On chip shots,” the coach said,  “Coach Walker Hennen and Boerboom would walk up to  the green and point at the exact spot the chip shot needed to land to save par.”
 There was no “let it fly” strategy here. “Obviously, this is a scary moment as everybody in the gallery knows what you are attempting to accomplish,” said Coach Gile. 
He added, “A missed shot at this moment would prove embarrassing but it is the exact character trait needed that separates average golfers from state contenders.”
But Boerboom didn’t miss many of his opportunities.
While most golfers would read their putt from one angle, Boerboom took the time to walk around and review the putt from the opposite side of the cup. 
“Reading the greens is a subtle skill taking years to master,” said the coach. 
Regardless, Boerboom took the time to determine how extremely difficult putts would break as it approaches the cup. 
While he was putting, Coach Hennen was on the tee box determining the strategy for the next hole. 
“It was a text book view of a coach and player working together in state level competition,” said Gile.
Boerboom’s score of 159 at the end of the tournament produced another teaching moment.
All four players took off their cap’s andshook each other’s hands, demonstrating a major element in golf etiquette often overlooked in high school golf.
Boerboom’s first day couldn’t have gone much better. He was tied for seventh place with a 75.
While he didn’t quite match up the second day, it was still a nice finish.
“My second round didn’t go as good as Tuesday, but I got here so I can’t be disappointed,” he said.
According to Boerboom, “The pin placements on the greens were very, very, very hard and then the greens, they sped them up after the first round.”
He said putting is a big part of the game and he didn’t have the same concentration the second day.
Also helping was Nicole Evers, a former teammate and now coach for the Boerboom and the high school team.
“It’s nice to have all that support,” Boerboom was quoted as saying.
Boerboom qualified for state last year as a freshman and now has two state tournaments under his belt with two more seasons to go.
After the section tournament, Boerboom told The Mascot he wanted to keep improving each year at the state.
This year there was marked improvement and he hopes, “Hopefully I can get back here two more years.” After all, there’s always next year — and next year could be better.