There isn’t any place Brownstown Central’s Jackson Wagner would rather be during the spring than at Hickory Hills Golf Club working on his game.
“I spend every single day there in the spring time,” he said. “It’s something I’ve always done. It’s a way to get away from everybody. You get in your own zone. You’re by yourself out there, nobody else. I like how if you go out there and mess up, it’s on you. You can’t blame nobody but yourself. This year I’ve had a pretty good year in golf.”
Wagner has been playing the No. 3 position for the Braves this spring.
He said his low round on nine holes is a 37, shot during practice last year, while his lowest score in a match at home has been a 39.
Wagner considers his irons around the greens to be the strongest part of his game.
“Normally, around the greens I’m really good at getting up and down,” Wagner said.
While Wagner said he has a lot of confidence in his irons, he feels that is one area he can improve to lower his scores.
“I need to work on my second shots into the green,” Wagner said. “I just need to work on getting to the green in regulation.”
Wagner said he feels like he has good distance with is drives, and he ranks among the leaders on the team in distance.
“Hunter Browning and I hit drives together every day,” Wagner said. “Hunter is No. 1, Seth (Berry) is No. 2 and I’m No. 3, but we’re all right there on drives. I’d say I constantly hit about 300 yards.”
Wagner said he continuously checks to see which way the wind is blowing.
“I was hitting my three gap wedge, and normally I hit it an average of 100 yards, and I hit it about 230 over the top of the green with the wind at my back,” he said. “The wind gusted as soon as I hit it.”
Wagner said you have to keep a strong mental outlook any sport you play — especially golf.
“The mental part, you have to be really strong in golf,” he said. “You cannot take anything away from it. If you have one bad hole you’ve got to let it go. You’ve just got to move on. If you sit there it’s just going to blow up in your brain, and you’ll just get mad and upset.
“You’re best bet is just thinking about birdieing the next hole.”
The Braves will compete in the sectional at the Indiana University course in Bloomington on June 3.
“It’s one of my favorite courses,” Wagner said, and added that he has played multiple courses in Indiana and other surrounding states. “I just travel around with my grandparents. They play golf every day, pretty much. A big part of my life is golf.”
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Name: Jackson Wagner
School: Brownstown Central High School
Parents: Craig and Melanie Wagner
Siblings: Kelley
Sports: golf 4 years
Athletic honors: most improved, regional qualifier
Plans after high school: painter for Bob Poynter GM
Favorite food: Chinese
Favorite TV show: ESPN
Favorite team: Indiana University
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Q: How does your home course play?
A: “I like hole No. 1 at Hickory Hills. It’s a long, straight par 4. The hardest hole for me is No. 4, the par 3 over the water. It’s just a long iron shot for me. It’s a hard approach.”
Q: Favorite away course?
A: “I like Otis Park (Bedford). I’ve broken 40 there during practice rounds. It’s actually a higher par course. Instead of being 35 like our course, it’s a par 37. I shot 42 so I shot five over.”
Q: What’s it like attending BCHS?
A: “The best part I like about going here is when you’re a senior you can just about choose whatever (classes you want to). The teachers are there if you need help. I have a lot of teachers that are backing me. I’ve taken about every dual credit class that I can.”
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