Nolan Miller hesitated, trying to find the right words to describe his experience last year as part of Columbus High School’s championship golf team.
“It was awesome, something I won’t ever forget,” Miller, 17, said.
The Columbus High senior went on to explain why the state title meant so much.
“You know, we had some ups and downs during the regular season,” he said. “Coach just talked to us right before that tournament and told us to play within ourselves, not to worry about what others did, and we would come out on top. And that is exactly what we did.”
The CHS boys golf team won the 2016 5A Georgia High School State Golf Championship Tournament played at the Bartram Trail Golf Course in Augusta, Georgia. Miller was a junior on the team and the low medalist. His score of 66 was a personal best for the golfer, whose average score for the regular season was 72.
“I don’t know why, but everything just clicked,” Miller said with a smile about his golf game that day.
His modesty about his abilities is refreshing, but Miller didn’t just happen to show up at the right time with the right tools. The six-foot, right-handed golfer has a lot of natural talent. He also has a lot of experience for someone so young.
“I started swinging a golf club when I was 18 months old,” Miller said, laughing. “It was the little plastic club, and I would hit walnuts with them. I hit so much I put holes in the clubs, and my dad bought me a set of real clubs that were too big for me, and I had to grow into them.”
Miller won his first golf tournament at age 8. He played the sport in middle school, during which he realized he had the skills to play competitively at the high school level. He centered his focus on getting into Columbus High School’s magnet program so he could play for the Blue Devils varsity golf team.
Once he achieved that goal, Miller set about becoming the best freshman player possible. His purpose was to contribute to his team and participate in a well-respected, established golf program. The result was an average score of 76 for his ninth-grade season, which earned him honors such as being named to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer’s All Bi-City Team as well as the All-State team.
Improving his game has always been at the forefront of Miller’s mind. As a sophomore his average scoring was 73. According to his coach, Chris Parker, Miller was the region medalist that year shooting 67 at Maple Ridge Golf Course in Columbus. Other accomplishments include being named to the all-tournament teams at Joe King, MCI, PGA High School Invitational, and The Invite, all of which led to Miller being named the Ledger-Enquirer’s All Bi-City Player of the Year.
His junior year was so impressive that Miller was once again named the L-E Player of the Year. The honor was based on Miller’s performance in securing spots on the all-tournament teams at Georgia-South Carolina Challenge, MCI, PGA High School Invitational, Hardaway Invitation, and The Invite. He gained the attention of several colleges and eventually chose Mercer University prior to the beginning of his senior season.
“It was a relief,” Miller said. “I’m glad not to have all that pressure. Now I can just enjoy playing and helping my team. I really liked Mercer for a long time, but once I visited it, it just felt right for me.”
It’s pretty obvious to anyone who spends three minutes talking golf with Miller that the sport is not just a game to him. His dad started him out early, and a passion for golf grew. Now Miller can be found playing golf somewhere almost every day of the week. It is an extension of who he is at this point in his life. He takes a wedge to the beach on family vacations and hits golf balls in the sand. And, there have been trips just to play golf.
Miller also wants others to know the pleasure of playing golf. He works with youngsters at the Godwin Creek Golf Course who are just starting out or have a serious desire to develop their talents further.
The talented golfer’s competitive spirit and drive to be successful is balanced by his easy-going and laid-back personality. He admitted to some bad days on the course, but he tries to use those experiences for potential growth.
“There are always frustrating days when you play golf,” Miller said. “There are bad swings in practically every game you ever play. Golf’s best feature is patience. My best day is when I can limit my mistakes as much as possible.”
Maybe Miller talks about his golf game with humility, but his Blue Devils coach knows the senior has abilities that distinguish him on the field of play.
“His biggest strengths are his course management and his short game,” Parker said. “Due to his great course management, Nolan rarely ever shoots a bad score. His decision making level is very mature for a player his age. If he gets hot with the putter is when he has the really low 5-, 6-, or 7-under par rounds.”
Now that his decision for next year has been made, Miller looks forward to his senior season and another possible state title. The Blue Devils are returning three seniors and have some underclassmen who exhibited great talent last year. To add a little more spice to the mix, Columbus High School will be the host school for the 4A State Championship Tournament in May. The event will be held at the Country Club of Columbus, and Miller feels his team can successfully defend their 2016 title.
“We hosted it a few years ago, and I think we kind of expected to win, but we didn’t,” He said. “This time, I think we have the golfers, the experience, and the teamwork to bring home a second state title. We are just going to have to play good golf because any of those teams out there can beat us.”
In the end, Miller said he not only wants to play his best for his team but to enjoy golfing as much as he can before he moves to the collegiate level.
“I always remember an Arnold Palmer quote,” Miller said. “He said ‘Golf is satisfyingly simple but endlessly complicated.’ So you can make it as simple or as complicated as you can. You can never go out and do the same thing twice in a row. I think that is what is so fun about it. You don’t know what to expect when you go out there.”
Columbus Valley/March 2017
Columbus High School
Written by: Beth Welch | Photos by: George McDuffie
Golfer Tees Off in Hopes of Another State Championship
