Photo Credit: Cindy Breck
LA PLATA, Md. — For the La Plata High School boys golf team, a new season has brought a new coach, a renewed sense of confidence and expectations that extend beyond simply competing.
First-year coach Brent Martin believes the Warriors have the experience and depth to make a deep postseason run, with the state tournament serving as the minimum expectation.
“I’ve got very high expectations,” Martin told The BayNet. “I would say if we didn’t make it to the state tournament, I would think that we didn’t meet expectations.”
La Plata opened its regular season with a 13-stroke victory over Northern at Swan Point, the Warriors’ home course. Although Martin felt the team performed below its potential, he was encouraged by the result.
La Plata finished with a team score of 72 compared with Northern’s 85, according to Martin.
The Warriors also received important contributions from Luke Grimsley and Cam Orland, who recovered from slow starts to help preserve the team’s advantage.
“Both of them fought so hard coming in,” Martin said. “That’s what I love is the fight from them already.”
Martin sees depth as La Plata’s biggest strength. He estimates that approximately eight players could rotate through the lineup during the season, giving the Warriors multiple players capable of producing counting scores.
“I really do. I think it’s our depth,” Martin said. “It really is.”
The team is also an experienced group. La Plata’s lineup in its opening match featured five seniors and a junior, giving the Warriors a veteran core for the season.
Beyond their ability on the course, Martin said he has been impressed by the players’ maturity and willingness to work.
After practice, the players often remain at the course to continue working on their games, including chipping and putting.
“They love golf,” Martin said. “They just want to stick around and practice and chip and putt.”
That work ethic fits directly into the coaching philosophy Martin has brought to the program.
A La Plata graduate, Martin played Division I college golf before spending approximately eight years playing professionally. He won twice as a professional before stepping away from competitive golf around the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He later returned to La Plata and became involved with his family’s Martin Service Station, a business that has operated in the community for more than 100 years.
When La Plata athletic director Butler, who had been a teacher when Martin attended the school, offered him the coaching position, it was not something Martin had initially planned.
After considering the opportunity for several weeks, he decided to return to the game in a different role.
“It was kind of a cool little thing,” Martin said. “They asked, and I wasn’t thinking about it at all. Man, it sounds awesome.”
His approach has emphasized fundamentals, repetition and course management.
Rather than focusing solely on hitting the ball well, Martin wants his players to understand how to manage a golf course from the tee box through the green.
The Warriors’ main area for improvement is the short game, particularly wedges.
“We drive the ball well,” Martin said. “We’ve got more than enough length off the tee.”
The goal now is to turn those opportunities into lower scores by improving around the greens and learning how to take advantage of the team’s length.
Martin is also emphasizing the mental side of golf. He wants his players to focus on one shot at a time instead of becoming consumed by their score.
“We’re literally playing one shot at a time,” Martin said. “All we’re worried about is the shot that we’re getting ready to play.”
For Martin, building confidence comes from preparation. His own playing career taught him that putting in the work allows players to believe in their abilities when they step onto the first tee.
That belief is something he hopes to instill in a La Plata program he feels has not always received the leadership and instruction it needed.
His goal is not only to win matches but also to change the culture surrounding the program.
“We’re breaking any patterns that we had,” Martin said.
With most of his current players being seniors, Martin believes the season represents an opportunity to give them the type of high school golf experience they deserve.
“I think being able to let the boys see how good they really can be,” Martin said, “is what I’m most excited about.”
While the state tournament remains the ultimate competitive goal, Martin believes the path toward that goal is built through daily work.
Rather than setting numerous long-term objectives, he wants the Warriors to concentrate on what they can control each day — practicing with purpose, improving their fundamentals and continuing to develop their games.
If they do that, Martin believes the results will follow.
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