Coach Chapman is very humble. He is quick to direct attention to those he feels may play an even more integral role in the team’s success than he does. Throughout our conversation, he continually praised the players he coached last year and those who are playing this year. “They are self-motivated to be the best golfers they can be. They made up their minds that they want to be a championship team and took it from there. They made my job easy,” he says. He was also very complementary regarding his assistant coach, Perrin Trotter. “He’s fantastic and does a lot with the kids. He’s a tremendous golfer himself and has a lot to offer our players. We wouldn’t be the team we are without him.”
The expectations for the Brookstone Cougars men’s golf team didn’t change when head coach Hunter Chapman took over the program last year. The Cougars had won four straight men’s golf state championships. They had three elite-level seniors and a deep, talented field of underclassmen. Yes, they were getting a new golf coach. But no, they weren’t going to settle for anything less than a fifth consecutive state title.
Welcome to the program, Coach Chapman.
It didn’t help that Chapman was taking his first coaching job after graduating from the University of Georgia in December of 2012. A brand new head coach in his first-ever coaching position — and he inherits a four-year state championship streak. “I wouldn’t call it pressure, but it definitely crossed my mind. I didn’t want the streak to end. But our team had a humble confidence that motivated them to do their best. With that kind of confidence, it was out of my hands at that point. They did the rest,” says Coach Chapman.
Thankfully for Chapman, his players weren’t ready for the streak to end, either. They committed themselves to winning another championship, and that’s exactly what they accomplished. “Our seniors loved the game, and they were great leaders. They had high expectations for the team, and we really had some quality golfers. They made my job easy. It was a really fun ride all the way around,” he says.
Chapman makes it sound easy, but don’t think for a minute that he just loads up the bus, gets the kids to the course, and turns them loose. A golfer during his high school years at Westminster in Atlanta, Chapman was a part of two state titles of his own. He understands the mental side of golf and a few nuances of the game that save strokes. Those nuances can help even the most seasoned players on his team. “A lot of our players have spent years with private coaches. Obviously I’m not going to try and change their swings at all. But the younger players – those I can coach a little and offer some technical advice. Then there’s always the mental aspect of golf – how you play the course and manage each hole. That is as important as anything. There’s a lot of coaching you can do in golf without changing a swing,” he says.
This year, he doesn’t expect anything to change. A state title is again the goal. And again, the team is built for a 
championship run. Brookstone lost three great seniors last year (including James Clark, who now plays at Georgia Tech), but a solid group of last year’s juniors are ready to take over leadership roles and keep the championship streak alive. “Our fourth guy last year, Connor Todd, is back. He’s one of our leaders, and he can really get the kids fired up. Our juniors and sophomores are very good as well. We have a lot of talent, but we don’t have much experience. We’ve got to translate that talent into low scores in a competitive setting. But we have depth, and that’s what wins championships. It’s not about having that one guy who can play Division I golf; it’s about having a team full of kids who can play well. Our mission is clear: We want to title number six,” he says.
Hunter Chapman is a young coach with his entire career ahead of him. Instead of worrying about building a resume and moving up the coaching ladder, he is content where he is and feels as though he has found a home at Brookstone. Chapman’s wife, Alex, whom he recently married, also teaches at Brookstone, and they couldn’t be happier where they are. “This is a phenomenal school. I love the kids I teach and coach, and I love the teachers I work with. This is a cool place to be, and we see ourselves staying here awhile,” says Coach Chapman.
Columbus Valley/Coach’s Corner/April 2015
Hunter Chapman
Brookstone School
Columbus, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
Under second-year head golf coach, Brookstone eyes a sixth-straight state championship
