CHARLEVOIX — Consistency is king in golf.
And, the Charlevoix boys’ golf team has been just that over the last four seasons, as a staple at the Division 4 state championships and multiple top 10 state finishes.
All along the way, one golfer has been Mr. Consistent above the rest. Hudson Vollmer is also the only one who’s been along for the whole ride.
A regular in the lineup since his freshman season with the Rayders, Vollmer has been as cool as anyone in the lineup since his early days and carried that over to this past season with an eighth place overall finish in Division 4 and a sixth place finish as a team.
It’s been a ride with the Rayders and a program that he’s proud to have been a part of.
“I think it’s super cool,” said Vollmer. “Since Jake Beaudoin and even before to Matt Good, Charlevoix has just had a history of having really good golfers and I think the Charlevoix Junior Golf Program does a really good job of getting kids involved at a really young age. Having Coach (Doug) Drenth as a coach, that’s the greatest thing ever. He’s the most outgoing, kind person ever. He makes the game really enjoyable and easy to play.”
Vollmer has made it look easy at times out there, from his record 71 to earn a regional title as a junior, to his back to back rounds of 82 as a freshman at the state finals and that top 10 state finish this season. He’s also now the easy choice for Petoskey News-Review Golfer of the Year.
While the individual accolades are obviously great, Vollmer would likely be the first to take any kind of team recognition over it.
He’s been a three-sport standout in football and basketball as well, building that team bond and knowing what it takes to lead and carrying it over to an individual sport.
“A lot of kids played three sports in high school and I was just one of them,” he said. “You’ve just got to really focus in when it comes to the seasons.”
But for a sport like golf, which takes a ridiculous amount of time and consistency (that word again), Vollmer had to stay involved in golf during every season, which even includes working at The Belvedere Golf Club in Charlevoix, among other ways.
“I’d go to the Petoskey Golf Center for lessons over the winter to try to keep the rust from building up so that when the season comes it hasn’t been six months,” he said. “Then we always go somewhere warm for spring break, so that’s nice too to keep the rust off.”
There hasn’t really been any kind of rust on Vollmer over his career, having shot 82-82–164 in his first-ever state finals, to an 82-76–158 as a sophomore. He then followed a regional title a year ago with an 80-81–161 last season and then an 85-78–163 this spring.
He battled some brutal elements on the course at Grand Valley State this spring, along with everyone else, while trying to stay positive.
“The first day was definitely discouraging, but there was only one round in the 70s, so there were some other things going on other than just wind that day. As much as I wanted to be upset with myself, I really couldn’t. Everyone was in the same conditions and having the same struggles.
“I knew I’m capable of shooting much better than I did and knowing the weather was going to be much better the second day, I kind of just put that first round past me and let it go.”
Looking to walk-on to the Central Michigan University golf team, Vollmer is hoping to keep the competitive juices flowing at the collegiate level ahead.
He’s showed them well throughout his career in multiple sports, through wins and losses and defending titles, which is exactly how he’ll go out as a Rayder and Mr. Consistent on the course.
“That puts a chip on your shoulder having to defend (a title),” he said. “We did as back to back regional champs and that was a great way to end my career.”
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
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