Sturgis grad Herald aiming to be leader for Glen Oaks golf

CENTREVILLE — Sturgis graduate Graeme Herald is used to being one of the better golfers during his time in high school. Because of this, he believes making the transition to the next level will not be as hard as it looks on the surface.

Earlier this year, Herald signed on to continue his academic and golf careers with Glen Oaks Community College. It's a big step in his life, as it is with plenty of high school graduates who plan to continue their athletic careers at the next level. The Glen Oaks Community College golf team is looking to find its way back to the national tournament in the spring and Herlad said that was one of the draws for him.

It won't be easy, as Viking head coach Ed Culp knows, because the team is replacing five sophomores from a group that reached the pinnacle tournament of community college golf last year. He said having a player like Herald on the team will only help.

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"We are building a winning culture and we are getting solid kids from the area, which is awesome," Culp said. "I like his ability to manage the game on the course. He shoots it consistently no matter where he is playing and that's a big plus."

Culp added the consistent play by Herald will make his transition into college golf an easier one.

"He understands what it takes and looks at the course he's playing," Culp said. "Managing the game that way will help him. His score will travel no matter where we play and that's a positive thing we are looking for in our players."

Herald played for Nate Schwartz at Sturgis. Schwartz is looking forward to what Herald can do at the next level because he has a lot of positives to his game.

"Graeme seems to always be on the course and he has a willingness to get better," Schwartz said. "He is constantly trying to get his best score every day, but he also is willing to help his teammates get better as well."

Herald said he is a big fan of the little things when it come to golf. It helps that he has the talent to be a solid player, but it also helps in understanding how he can shoot his best scores.

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"I love the technicality of the game, I'm big on math so I like to look at the numbers that work for me out on the course," he said. "I think having a mental game is big when you play, the finesse part of the game in how you think about it. I'm always look to improve that."

Herald said he wants to continue to improve on his short game, including his putting. Both are important to shooting consistent scores and as he continues to improve, those scores will get lower. Both Culp and Schwartz agreed and said that they expect Herald to be able to get better.

"Keep practicing. Keep chipping and putting and getting that work in," Herald said. "Short game is where I can save strokes and I want to keep improving there."

In the classroom, Herald said he plans to explore general studies at the current time. He'll get it all figured out in due time and he is honestly undecided as he heads into his freshman year. That's just fine, he said. His time management is solid, he said, so he is looking forward to having some freedom for himself as he enters the college life.

He has some nerves, though. But that just shows he cares and looks at improving not only his golf game, but his overall outlook on life as he looks to continue to get better all-around.

"He will do great things, I think he will be one of their better golfers and I think his game will translate well to the next level," Schwartz said. "He's very consistent and he wants to get better. I'm excited to see what he can do."

Culp is looking for a leader on his new team. He believes Herald, and a couple other incoming freshmen, can help build that in their opening year. Golf is a fall and spring sport for GOCC, but most of the golf in the fall is invitational based, Culp said.

Culp will be entering his fifth year as the coach of Glen Oaks in his second stint as the man in charge of the Vikings. He said players like Lewis have helped make it an easier transition back into coaching and he's enjoying himself.

Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at bwatson@gannett.com . Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @BwatsonSJ.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Sturgis grad Herald aiming to be leader for Glen Oaks golf