After Damon Dickey had shot an 82 at the Hall of Fame Classic and then placed eighth in a three-way match against Center Grove and Columbus North in early May, he and Franklin co-coach Ted Bishop got together and had a conversation about everything from ball flight to attitude.
The chat certainly paid dividends. Dickey played his next 153 holes in 25 shots under par, placing second out of 105 players at the State Preview tournament and then earning medalist honors at nine straight events. That winning streak included the Mid-State Conference, county, sectional and regional tourneys.
“The roll that he got on at the end of the year, it was just absolutely unbelievable,” Bishop said.
Even after a first-round 79 at the state finals — just his second round above par in a span of nearly six weeks — Dickey rebounded with a 72 in the final round and finished at even par for the season. The Grizzly Cub senior earned All-State honors, and he is the Daily Journal’s Player of the Year in boys golf.
After qualifying for state as an individual during his sophomore season, Dickey was poised for a breakout junior year before the pandemic erased any such opportunity. Rather than complain about the lost season, Dickey enjoyed a strong 2020 summer on the tournament circuit that included a victory in the Indiana Junior Golf Championship.
He also came into this spring more eager to end his high school career on a high note.
“I know that I wanted to be a part of another state tournament, another regional, another sectional and all that kind of stuff,” Dickey said, “so to finally be able to be a part of those things again, it just made it everything more fun and it made the golf a lot easier to enjoy.”
Torching almost every course in his path added to the enjoyment. During his late-season tear, Dickey put up rounds of 65 and 66 at The Legends and shot 69 at a tough Champions Pointe course in the regional.
Part of the reason that Dickey was able to relax during his senior season was that there was no recruiting pressure weighing on him. Committing to Butler University back in the fall allowed Dickey to play this spring without worrying about what college coaches might be thinking.
“That was definitely a big thing, because I was worried about where I was going to end up,” Dickey said. “To know that you’ve got a home and maybe this one round doesn’t matter so much in the grand scheme of things, it just kind of frees you up to play well.”
Bishop, who has seen more than his share of top-level golf over the years, believes that Dickey can put himself in a position to continue playing the game competitively after he finishes college.
He even went so far as to admit that the opportunity to work with Dickey was a huge factor in his decision to start coaching the Grizzly Cubs alongside Crystal Morse a year and a half ago.
“(Dickey) was the primary reason that I wanted to do this,” Bishop said. “I wanted the opportunity to coach a player like this, because they don’t come along very often, if ever.”
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The 2021 All-County team for boys golf:
Luke Beetz, Center Grove junior: All-State pick posted an 18-hole average of 76.8, earning medalist honors at the Franklin Central Invitational and placing second at four other tournaments.
Damon Dickey, Franklin senior: Played even-par golf for the season with a low round of 65 … Medalist at conference, county, sectional and regional tourneys … Tied for 12th at state … Will play at Butler University.
Brandon Heffner, Center Grove senior: Finished season with a 76.8 scoring average … Tied for third individually at regional and tied for 21st at state to help Trojans win their second team championship.
Sam Hord, Center Grove junior: Tied for fourth individually at state finals to lead team champs … Averaged 75.6 strokes per 18 holes and had five top-three individual finishes during season.
Drew Rowen, Center Grove junior: Tied for fifth individually to help Trojans win sixth straight regional … Tied for 16th at state finals … Finished with 77.7 scoring average per 18 holes.
Sam Slaughter, Center Grove senior: Led state champs with a 75.3 average … Earned medalist honors at MIC tourney and Trojan Classic … Tied for 12th at state and sank title-clinching putt.
Jackson Watkins, Greenwood junior: Finished with 75.0 scoring average per 18 holes … Qualified for regional as an individual by finishing third at sectional with a 73 … Earned all-conference recognition.
Honorable mention
Nate Blackwell, Franklin; Max Blandford, Edinburgh; Braxton Christie, Indian Creek; Will Davis, Whiteland; Quin Edwards, Franklin; Clark Haywood, Indian Creek; Ian McCullough, Franklin; Sutton Piercefield, GCA; Will McGuinness, Franklin; Ian Reed, GCA
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