Aidan Nelson- Tearing Up the Links for the Streaks

Aidan Nelson is off to a great start this Fall for the Silver Streaks golf team. First year Streaks golf coach, Alan Sullivan describes Aidan’s game as, “…well rounded and he makes few mistakes. He has a plan of attack for each hole that he executes.”

Aidan’s results at this point are as follows… 

36- Even Par at Bunker Links vs.Rock Island- First Place

72- Even Par at Gibson Woods vs Monmouth-Roseville & Alleman- First Place

72- 1 Over at Bunker Links vs Knoxville & ROWVA-Williamsfield- First Place

78- 7 Over Par at Deer Run in Geneseo Invitational- Tied 4th 

38- 2 Over Par at Bunker Links vs UTHS- 2nd Place

Aidan’s strength is his short game- chipping and putting. He seldom three putts a green. 

Coach Sullivan sees Aidan being motivated by a good season last year that ended disappointingly. According to Coach Sullivan, “He is using that disappointment as a motivation for this season.” 

Not only is Aidan off to a great start, but he is filling the role of a leader on the golf team. He helps younger players out with their game and their course strategies. 

It always interesting to talk to great athletes and understand their approach to their sport. I had the opportunity to ask Aidan to share his thoughts on his season to this point, and his hopes for the remainder of the season. 

Massey- From my view of things, you are off to a great start to the season. Are things at this point a surprise to you, or was this where you wanted or expected to be?

Aidan- Thank you, with winning three out of the first five meets of the season this is where I wanted to be. As far as expectations go this is exactly where I expected to be, all of the summer tournaments and countless hours of practice have prepared me to thrive during the season. 

Massey- Your coach said he thought that you had been driven by some disappointment from last year. He said that you had used “disappointment as a motivation.” Is this accurate? Can you explain how you became motivated? 

Aidan- Yes, the way that last season ended, with me missing the cut to qualify for state really motivated me to go and put in the offseason work.

Left-Right- Colin Archer, Tyler Robinson, Aidan Nelson, Jordan Miner,
Cole Furrow, Levi Rogers

 

Massey- On your “Streaks Senior Profile” for me, you said a quote that inspires you is Kobe Bryant’s, “You have to work hard in the dark to shine in the light.” Can you share what things you did in the “dark” of the off-season to get to this point? Specifically did you play more than you had before? Did you just play rounds of golf, or did you spend more time drilling or working on specific parts? If you can share this process. 

Aidan- Yes, I not only played more rounds of golf, but more importantly I spent the majority of my time practicing short game. I would go out to the practice green and putt balls for hours, regardless of the conditions. In golf you have to be ready for anything, so I intentionally practice in the toughest conditions to best prepare myself for adversity.

Massey- Your coach said that you practice with the team, and then practice on your own too. When he described your approach to practice and meets, he said, ”He has routines that he doesn't stray far from.” Could you share what your “routines” are going into a meet? For example do you like to do certain things in terms of eating, warmup, mental approach? Do you have superstitions?

Aidan- On meet day, I always follow the same routine. Whether it is home or away I always listen to music beforehand. It helps calm the nerves and gets me in the right mindset to go out and compete. I always stick to the same warmup on the range, and as my dad would say "I'm not superstitious just a little stitious."

Aidan Nelson with Gabe Irizarry

Massey- Not only have you been dominating, your scores are so consistent. Coaches in all sports preach to athletes after mistakes, “Go onto the next play.” I am guessing that you don’t have a lot of bad shots or bad holes, but what do you do to not let a bad shot or a bad hole effect you going forward? 

Aidan- Whenever I make a mistake or have a bad hole I have to just focus on the next shot and stick with my game. There is a lot of self-affirmation on the golf course, a lot of positive self talk, and you just have to remind yourself that you are a talented golfer who can recover from a difficult hole.

Massey- What is the strong part of your game? What is the part of your game that you are working the hardest on? What will help you knock some strokes off your game going forward?

Aidan- The strongest part of my game is my short game, but it is also the part that I work on the most. Going forward I think that continuing to put in work around the green will help me gain strokes on the field.

Massey- What is your favorite course or favorite courses? What would be your dream course to play?

Aidan- My favorite course is Soangetaha, because it has been my home course for as long as I can remember. My dream course to play as any true golf fan would say is Augusta National.

Massey- What best describes your approach, do you play the course or play your opponent?

Aidan- I neither play the course nor play my opponent. While I love to compete, the most important thing to me is playing to beat my past scores and improve myself as an individual. 

Massey- Do you have specific goals for the remainder of the season as far as scores, certain meets, WB6, or State Series?

Aidan- For the remainder of my season I have set specific goals for myself. I want to make First Team All-Conference for my third consecutive year along with qualifying for state. However, the most important thing for the remainder of my season is as my Grandma would say "Just have fun".