Pictured is Wren High School boys golf coach Tyler Barnes (far left) with his senior trio of Dylan Park, Garrett Gillespie and Davis Merritt. The Hurricanes were Class 3A State Champs last season.
Jeff Holt | The Easley Progress
POWDERSVILLE — Wren High School boys golf made a statement last year as the Class 3A State Champs.
They move up to 4A this year and they return a strong nucleus of senior golfers – Dylan Park, Garrett Gillespie, and Davis Merritt.
“Our guys really enjoy playing the tougher competition,” said Hurricane coach Tyler Barnes, at a recent practice at Southern Oaks Golf Course. “Going up to 4A, I think that will breed more of a competitive spirit.”
Park, Gillespie and Merritt will also serve as captains this season.
Barnes feels that Park – once again – will be one of the top golfers in the state in 4A. Park has already signed on to play golf on a scholarship at Winthrop University and has been nationally ranked. Plus, he feels that his Wren golfers team can be a top-three team in 4A.
At press time, Gillespie is unsure of where he’ll be attending college next season.
But not to be overlooked is importance of Merritt who has already been accepted to Clemson University and will follow the footsteps of several family members to the Tigers. Merritt will not be playing golf at Clemson.
“He (Merritt) is definitely an integral part of this team,” said Barnes. “He’s fun. He keeps it loose with the guys. We had a championship season last year and we have a lot of new kids this year who want to be part of that.”
And that they do.
Barnes currently has 11 players on the Wren varsity team and 8 players on the JV team.
“We are like a family,” Barnes said. “We do team dinners every week. I think we all knew something special was going to happen last year.”
Circle the date: The talent-filled Hurricane Invite will return again to Southern Oaks Golf Course with a strong field of teams. Wren made a statement last year in winning the Hurricane Invite. Barnes said they already have 30 teams penciled in for this year and possibly two additional teams.
Congrats, Coach: Barnes, who recently retired after 20 years of active duty service in the U.S. Army, took some extra time last week at practice to thank his wife (Christina) for all of her support. It was also her birthday on that day (Feb. 25th).
“I’m incredibly grateful for my wife and everything she does for our family,” said Barnes. “Her dedication and unwavering support through my 20 years in the Active Duty Army have meant the world to me. She was a huge reason we decided to get so involved in the Wren community after being stationed here three years ago, and thanks to her, it quickly felt like home. Between the Wren Booster Club and my role as the golf coach, we’ve been embraced by this amazing community, and we couldn’t love it more.”
“The whole reason I was successful – and a lot of people don’t put a lot of emphasis on it – was because of my wife and kids,” Barnes said.
Reach Jeff Holt at 864-855-0355.