Young local golfer, Matthew Procyshen accomplished what many golfers dream about. He plays golf most of the winter while going to school in the U.S. Procyshen, who originally signed with Missouri where he studied and played golf for two years, recently changed schools, moving to Minot State to complete the final two years of his college career.
College golf in the U.S. involves team events. This year his school won four of ten events entered. "That was pretty good in the conference because we have some pretty decent teams," Procyshen comments.
Minot which is an NCAA Division 2 school of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Confer-ence, offers a higher level of competition, Procyshen says. The Minot golf team, which was part of the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAK) was blowing opposing teams out by between 20 and 30 strokes, he claims. "I think their average was in the 290s as a team, he notes. That's pretty low for a four member team. Typically the varsity team has five members but only the top four scores are counted in tournaments, Procyshen explains.
Prior to joining the Missouri team, Procy-shen did a campus tour at Minot. He maintained contact with the coach once he got his release from Missouri and Minot became an open option.
Currently Procyshen says he's where he wants to be in his game. It's taken awhile and some changes to get there, he says. He recently completed the Saskatchewan Amateur here where he shot three under par in the last round which caused him to jump from 28th to 11th. "I feel good. I'm confident about my golf game right now," he suggests.
The collegiate golf season in the U.S. starts in September 1 and runs until the end of October or the first week of November. Players are back on the course in February and begin tournament play in March. They take the summer months, which are very hot down there, off. "Hopefully we have a golf course to play on in Minot. They're hurting pretty bad from the flood," Procyshen points out.
He recently completed his third Canadian Tour Event in Saskatoon, the Dakota Dunes casino Open. Players apply for the tournament and need a sponsor's exemption through SIGA.
Procyshen says he didn't play as well as he would have liked to on the course which is tough to play when the wind blows. The experience showed him where he needed to go with his game. "I may not have played as well as I would have liked but I can tell I've improved playing in the States," he says.
Of his experience in the Saskatchewan Amateur played in Warman on a new golf course which has only been open for the first year, Procyshen says, "It's an absolutely amazing golf course very tough."
Participants were cut after three days, advancing the top 36 young golfers and ties, for about 40 golfers into the last day of the tournament. The wind calmed down for the last day, he reports. "After you've hit a week's worth of shots trying to keep the ball under control and on the fairway, you kind of learn things. Out there you can't miss. You miss the fairway by two or three yards, you're in fescue that's about a foot deep," he states.
The last day Procyshen says he only hit his driver once, relying on three woods, hybrids and irons just to keep the ball in play. He finished with a three under par 69, making up some major ground on the field and moving from 28th to 11th.
At college, there were 15 players on the team. The bottom eight couldn't break 80. "If you really want to compete, you've gotta be around that even mark. You can't be higher than over two at the most," Procyshen explains.
Last season the golfers experienced the worst weather they've had all year, rainy and windy in every tournament. This year in the Sask. Amateur the winner was over par for the first time. The top three were plus three, plus four and plus six, he recalls. "To shoot that under those conditions was pretty amazing," Procyshen states.
A golfer has to be fairly strong if he's not too big in stature, he suggests. "If you can keep on the fairway, that's a key, but that extra 10 yards has really helped," he reports. His new training program in the gym includes a workout for strength and yoga which improves flexibility has improved his distance.
He's also picked up his short game. The coach required players to sink 30 three foot putts in a row every day before leaving practice. "One in a row. You can't miss. So you have to stay focused for those 30 putts in a row," Procyshen says.
"It's all about what you put into it. If you're not going to put a 100 per cent in, then you're not going get a 100 per cent out," he asserts. At the same time, players have to balance school, golf and a personal life outside of school. It's tough to always give 100 per cent, but that's where it important to manage one's time, Procyshen adds. Players go to school from eight to three. They practice from three to six, eat supper until seven. Then comes that two to three hour homework block. Then they must decide to go to the gym or socialize. "It's tough but if you can learn to manage your time, you'll be okay," he insists.
He has two years of golf eligibility remaining and two years to complete his degree in business management. He is thinking about completing a masters degree program if he can stay on as an assistant coach.
The move to Minot State is good for him, Procyshen believes. The school has a very good golf program. As an NCAA school, Minot also offers more funding. "I'll travel more and see different parts of the States. Yeah, I think it's a really good move," he concludes.
