Is high school golf worth it? Players from this state are keeping the debate alive
AI-assisted summary
Top high school golfers sometimes forgo high school golf to focus on individual tournaments for college recruiting.
Alex Holder, who committed to Auburn, skipped high school golf last year but returned this year and is a state championship contender.
Micah Sheffer, committed to Purdue, opted out of high school golf this year to focus on travel tournaments and plans to graduate early.
Silas Haarer, another top contender, also didn't play high school golf last year but returned this season.
The top golfer coming out of Thursday's Indiana state high school regional at Stonehenge Golf Club was no surprise. Fairfield senior Brayden Miller, who fired a 5-under par 71, was last year's wire-to-wire state champion.
The next two top finishers were also not a surprise. Westview senior Silas Haarer and Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger junior Alex Holder, like Miller, are contenders to win the IHSAA individual state championship on Tuesday and Wednesday at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel. The difference for Haarer and Holder is that they did not compete in the state meet last year.
In fact, they did not compete in high school golf at all. For elite golfers, the decision to play high school is not as easy as just coming out for the team.
'(High school golf) took up a pretty good chunk of what I thought was going to be an important time for my recruiting,' Holder said. 'High school golf is fun and cool, but I didn't think it was going to make a big difference for (college) coaches to see my high school stuff. I thought being in the other summer tournaments was a huge advantage for me. It was going to be hard to go to state and get my exposure to college coaches.'
It is difficult to argue Holder's logic. Or his results. After spending much of the winter of his sophomore year in Florida, Holder finished second in the Indiana Junior championship, two shots behind winner Justin Hicks and one ahead of Miller. He also reached the round of 32 in the U.S. Junior Amateur, among his other accomplishments.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle
In October of last year, Holder committed to Auburn … the defending national champions.
'I think it was really helpful for my future career,' Holder said. 'It worked out. It definitely sucks missing out on state but I was able to play in front of the Auburn coaches and then come back and play high school golf this year. I think everyone dreams of winning a state championship. If I had a chance to do that it would be super cool.'
Micah Sheffer, one of the state's top golfers out of Brownstown Central, opted not to play high school golf this spring. Sheffer has already committed to Purdue and has plans to graduate early and enroll in college in January of 2026.
'Playing high school golf is important,' Sheffer said. 'You need to play at least one or two years. Golf is an individual sport, but being part of a team makes it that much more important. But I felt like not playing high school golf this spring allowed me to grow so much more because I was able to play in travel tournaments and see the best competition out there. In Kentucky and Ohio, they play high school golf in the fall so those players are all out there playing. On top of that, I kind of like having the freedom of being able to take a day off or play 18 holes when I want to.'
Sheffer said the reaction was 'probably 50-50' on his decision not to play with his high school team. Last year, his team finished sixth at the regional and failed to advance, and his 75 left him three shots short of qualifying for state as an individual.
'I think everybody understood and respected my decision,' he said. 'They weren't necessarily happy losing one of their best players, but I think they understood for my development going to Purdue that it was going to be better for me. My goal right now is to go to Purdue and be ready to play when I get there.'
Sheffer was a three-sport athlete at Brownstown Central, also competing in football and basketball. Some of his best friends are his high school teammates.
'Don't get me wrong, I missed playing with the guys and going out there and having fun,' he said. 'But when I look back, I know it was the right decision to help me get ready.'
Haarer, the state runner-up two years ago, did not play high school golf last year at Westview. He shot a 67 at the regional last week to finish one shot behind defending state champion Miller.
Weighing the pros and cons of playing high school golf is not a new phenomenon. Erica Shepherd of Center Grove, a two-time All-American at Duke, did not play high school golf.
For Holder, the opportunity to step away and come back again worked out.
'Sometimes golf gets too serious,' Holder said. 'High school golf is a lot of fun and you make a lot of great memories. It's been great for me to come back to it.'
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar's high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
SEC quarterback takes shot at Big Ten, says there's no 'Purdue, Nebraskas' in SEC
SEC quarterback takes shot at Big Ten, says there's no 'Purdue, Nebraskas' in SEC NEW: Vandy QB Diego Pavia eviscerates the Big Ten: 'You want to play with the best – you don't want to play with the Big Ten. … You ignore those calls. ...the SEC, it's like week after week. You're going to get beat on. The Big Ten, you're not gonna get beat on with the… — On3 (@On3sports) June 17, 2025 One quarterback from the SEC put out some fighting words towards the Big Ten this week that made national headlines. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia took a shot at the Big Ten during a recent interview on the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast -- essentially saying the Big Ten is not as hard of a league on a weekly basis as the SEC. Here's a snippet quote pulled from On3 of the recent interview that certainly will cause a reaction from anyone who supports a Big Ten school: "You want to play with the best – you don't want to play with the Big Ten. … You ignore those calls. ... The SEC, it's like week after week. You're going to get beat on. The Big Ten, you're not gonna get beat on with the Purdue, Nebraskas.' Pavia has played one season in the SEC after transferring to Vanderbilt following two years at New Mexico State. He is entering his final year of eligibility with the Commodores this upcoming season. The quote from Pavia isn't the worst thing ever said about either of these two leagues, but it certainly will further fuel the rivalry between the Big Ten and SEC. The most insulting part here is probably towards Nebraska as the Cornhuskers were lumped into the same category as Purdue -- who is coming off a season that included zero FBS victories. The one thing that is somewhat ironic in Pavia's comment is that he plays for the "Purdue, Nebraskas" he is referencing at Vanderbilt. The Commodores have historically been a bottom feeder in the SEC, and while they are much improved recently, I'm not sure they'd fend any better playing against a Big Ten schedule if we are being honest. Regardless, offseason chatter like this is always fun for fans and personally just gets me more and more fired up for the upcoming college football season. It'll be here before we know it... Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Official: Pelicans acquire additional first-round pick in 2025 NBA draft from Pacers
The New Orleans Pelicans announced on Tuesday that they acquired the No. 23 pick in the 2025 NBA draft from the Indiana Pacers. Shams Charania of ESPN was the first to report the trade. The Pacers are also sending the Pelicans the draft rights to Mojave King, the 47th overall pick in 2023. They are acquiring their own 2026 first-round pick from the Pelicans, which was previously dealt to the Toronto Raptors in the trade involving Pascal Siakam. The transaction is expected to provide the Pacers with some salary-cap relief, which will help in their efforts to re-sign center Myles Turner this offseason. They are projected to be approximately $20 million under the luxury tax, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN. The Pelicans now have the Nos. 7 and 23 picks in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft following the trade. The group finished with a 21-61 record last season and appears to be looking to retool the roster through the draft by adding another selection. New Orleans has hosted predraft workouts with several potential first-round targets, including Nique Clifford (Colorado State), Cedric Coward (Washington State), Egor Demin (BYU), Kon Knueppel (Duke), Asa Newell (Georgia) and Derik Queen (Maryland), among others. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle The draft will feature a two-night format for the second consecutive year, with the first round scheduled for June 25 and the second round for June 26 in Brooklyn, New York.
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Is high school golf worth it? Players from this state are keeping the debate alive
AI-assisted summary Top high school golfers sometimes forgo high school golf to focus on individual tournaments for college recruiting. Alex Holder, who committed to Auburn, skipped high school golf last year but returned this year and is a state championship contender. Micah Sheffer, committed to Purdue, opted out of high school golf this year to focus on travel tournaments and plans to graduate early. Silas Haarer, another top contender, also didn't play high school golf last year but returned this season. The top golfer coming out of Thursday's Indiana state high school regional at Stonehenge Golf Club was no surprise. Fairfield senior Brayden Miller, who fired a 5-under par 71, was last year's wire-to-wire state champion. The next two top finishers were also not a surprise. Westview senior Silas Haarer and Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger junior Alex Holder, like Miller, are contenders to win the IHSAA individual state championship on Tuesday and Wednesday at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel. The difference for Haarer and Holder is that they did not compete in the state meet last year. In fact, they did not compete in high school golf at all. For elite golfers, the decision to play high school is not as easy as just coming out for the team. '(High school golf) took up a pretty good chunk of what I thought was going to be an important time for my recruiting,' Holder said. 'High school golf is fun and cool, but I didn't think it was going to make a big difference for (college) coaches to see my high school stuff. I thought being in the other summer tournaments was a huge advantage for me. It was going to be hard to go to state and get my exposure to college coaches.' It is difficult to argue Holder's logic. Or his results. After spending much of the winter of his sophomore year in Florida, Holder finished second in the Indiana Junior championship, two shots behind winner Justin Hicks and one ahead of Miller. He also reached the round of 32 in the U.S. Junior Amateur, among his other accomplishments. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle In October of last year, Holder committed to Auburn … the defending national champions. 'I think it was really helpful for my future career,' Holder said. 'It worked out. It definitely sucks missing out on state but I was able to play in front of the Auburn coaches and then come back and play high school golf this year. I think everyone dreams of winning a state championship. If I had a chance to do that it would be super cool.' Micah Sheffer, one of the state's top golfers out of Brownstown Central, opted not to play high school golf this spring. Sheffer has already committed to Purdue and has plans to graduate early and enroll in college in January of 2026. 'Playing high school golf is important,' Sheffer said. 'You need to play at least one or two years. Golf is an individual sport, but being part of a team makes it that much more important. But I felt like not playing high school golf this spring allowed me to grow so much more because I was able to play in travel tournaments and see the best competition out there. In Kentucky and Ohio, they play high school golf in the fall so those players are all out there playing. On top of that, I kind of like having the freedom of being able to take a day off or play 18 holes when I want to.' Sheffer said the reaction was 'probably 50-50' on his decision not to play with his high school team. Last year, his team finished sixth at the regional and failed to advance, and his 75 left him three shots short of qualifying for state as an individual. 'I think everybody understood and respected my decision,' he said. 'They weren't necessarily happy losing one of their best players, but I think they understood for my development going to Purdue that it was going to be better for me. My goal right now is to go to Purdue and be ready to play when I get there.' Sheffer was a three-sport athlete at Brownstown Central, also competing in football and basketball. Some of his best friends are his high school teammates. 'Don't get me wrong, I missed playing with the guys and going out there and having fun,' he said. 'But when I look back, I know it was the right decision to help me get ready.' Haarer, the state runner-up two years ago, did not play high school golf last year at Westview. He shot a 67 at the regional last week to finish one shot behind defending state champion Miller. Weighing the pros and cons of playing high school golf is not a new phenomenon. Erica Shepherd of Center Grove, a two-time All-American at Duke, did not play high school golf. For Holder, the opportunity to step away and come back again worked out. 'Sometimes golf gets too serious,' Holder said. 'High school golf is a lot of fun and you make a lot of great memories. It's been great for me to come back to it.' Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar's high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter.
