The Tribune
Jalen Curry played golf during the summers when he entered Brownstown Central High School as a freshman.
But when it came to playing a sport in the spring, he chose baseball.
That changed this spring, as Curry joined the golf team.
“I just decided to go out and give the team a try this year,” he said.
He was one of six first-year golfers on the team.
“I feel I had pretty good distance,” he said of his tee shots. “I feel like if I get ahold of the ball the way I want to, I can hit it 280 to 285 out there in that range. I was more worried about keeping it straight than how far it went. I just wanted to keep my tee shots in the fairway. I feel like whenever I keep my tee shots in the fairway, it makes the hole a lot easier.”
Curry said he definitely tries to stay away from water and sand traps.
“I’ve taken a different approach,” he said. “I’m a lot more confident hitting the ball where I want it to go with my 5 wood, so since we usually play from the blue tees, I usually hit a 5 wood on Hole 4 just to take the water completely out of play. I’m OK with getting out of the sand traps. I’ve done pretty good getting up and down this year.
“My chipping and putting were actually pretty good. A lot of the courses we played around here, it seemed like the greens sloped from bottom to top, so we always try to leave it short so that next chip or putt is uphill so you have a lot more control what the ball is going to do.”
On the greens, Curry had confidence with his putter.
“I limited my three-putts this year substantially, over 60 percent since the beginning of the year,” he said. “I usually didn’t three-putt more than once during a round. I usually saved myself there a little bit.”
His low round at Hickory Hills was 41. He No. 5 was his favorite hole.
Curry said you have to work hard in practice to succeed.
“Practice is the most important part of this game,” he said. “That’s why I like it. It is different than anything I’ve ever played. It’s not like riding a bike. You have to play every single day and know every kind of shot that you want to hit all by muscle memory. It takes a while to get to where you need to be at this level.
“I enjoy that you don’t know if you’re going to step out here and shoot a 60 or break the course record. You never know with golf. You’ve got an idea that something’s going to happen when you show up for basketball, but this is the most unpredictable game I’ve ever played.”
He enjoyed attending BCHS.
“I would not have traded my high school for anyplace else,” Curry said. “It’s home. It’s where I want to be and where I graduated from. The teachers and staff there do a wonderful job of getting us through the day, and with the amount of time you’re given and as much stuff we’ve got to learn, they do a great job of spacing things out and making it more enjoyable for everyone.
“I feel like I’ve had a great career at Brownstown. I didn’t do anything I would go back and change. I did everything I wanted to do.”
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Name: Jalen Curry
School: Brownstown Central High School
Parents: Jennifer and William Burnside
Sibling: Josslyn
Sports: Baseball, three years; golf, one year; basketball, one year
Athletic highlights: Baseball 2016 sectional champions
Organization: FFA
Plans after high school: Attend Indiana State University
Favorite food: Bacon cheeseburger
Favorite TV show: “Trailer Park Boys”
Favorite musician: Pearl Jam
Favorite movie: “8 Seconds”
Favorite team: Boston Red Sox
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