Josh Swartz’s body wasn’t quite ready to cooperate at this time last year.
It was amazing that Swartz was even playing golf after his car hit a telephone pole in a single-car crash before the season. Still, the Clyde senior knew he had the tools to win the sectional tourney as a junior, and next time he intended to do exactly that.
Swartz tied for medalist honors as Clyde carded 317 at Woussicket for a sectional crown. It advanced to district Thursday at Maumee Bay for the first time since 2012.
“I knew we could make it to district, but I knew either way I needed to go low,” Swartz said. “I played steady golf, I didn’t make any huge mistakes. All season long, we kept ourselves in it for a team championship, but we never played to our potential.
“A couple guys played well at the SBC tournament, and we were two strokes shy of Tiffin Columbian. That lit a fire. We knew we could do it if we played our best.”
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Brayden Olson (75) and Nico Carroll (79) each shot a career best at the sectional tourney.
“At the SBC tournament, (Olson) didn’t have a good day,” Swartz said. “He came back and played lights out. Nico, since his freshman year he’s one kid who got better and better. The leaps this year were incredible, and he finally broke 80.”
Swartz won the SBC tourney as a freshman, junior and senior. He shot 75 at Sawmill this season.
“As a freshman, you go and show what you can do,” he said. “As a sophomore, let’s see if I can do it again. Junior year, not playing much, there was no pressure. This year, I should be winning and be SBC champ and win sectional and hopefully get out of district.
“The work and practice I put in to golf, and I know what I can do. Those are the things I should be doing. Coming into this year, this was the only year I have left. After last year, over the summer I worked every single day to try to get to the point where I can get to the level I want.”
Swartz broke three vertebrae in his back in his crash last year. Somehow, he returned for a few 9-hole events, before carding 74 to win the SBC tourney.
His journey wasn’t as easy as it sounds.
“When it first happened, I had no clue what it would be,” he said. “The doctors didn’t want to do surgery, they wanted to let it heal. I had no idea if I’d be able to swing a golf club that year. I went to the second or third (checkup), and they said I could do it if it didn’t pain me.
“I slowly worked back, little shots. Turning my back, after bed rest for so long, they told me not to twist. I got to the point I could do a range session, then nine holes and nothing hurt. I played 18, but I had no power left at the end. My bones were weak.”
He tried 18 again at sectional.
“That was a bad day,” he said. “I couldn’t get anything going. By the end, my back gave out, and it didn’t end well. I put a little too much pressure on myself. I told myself there’s nobody that’s going to work harder. I was so frustrated.
“After making it to district my first two years, I knew I could make state if that (injury) didn’t happen. I told myself next year is going to be different.”
Returning to full health compared to sectional as a junior, Swartz fired 72 to finish second at Green Hills in the first tourney as a senior.
“You only get one last chance to do it,” he said. “I didn’t feel I was at my best, and I still shot that; I felt like I was going to have a lot of low scores.”
He never looked back as his journey returned to the fairway.
“I’ve been able to keep the ball in play off the tee and my approach shots have given me opportunities for birdie and par,” he said. “I haven’t had to scramble because I’ve hit greens with approach shots.”
He had six birdies and carded a career-best 3-under 67 to win the Bellevue Invitational at Woussicket.
“I was hitting the fairways and all my approach shots were next to the hole,” he said. “It was one of those days I could not mess up, everything was perfect.”
Swartz was first-team all-conference three times and second-team for his cameo as a junior. He plans to continue his career but is uncertain of the destination.
“The mental side of golf is the biggest thing to evolve,” he said. “I’ve always been pretty good, but going through you are more mature mentally with a round and the ups and downs. Golf is never perfect, mentally being able to move on quicker and get past the struggles.”
Swartz started golfing when he was 3 or 4. His grandmother, Marleen Savage, took him to the range before elementary school classes to get some putts in.
“My grandma and grandpa (Tom Savage) are probably my biggest supporters,” he said. “They’ve been to every single match, if it means something or (not), they’re always there.”
Swartz plans to see them Thursday, which means something. He certainly wants to advance to state for the first time, but he should first take a moment to soak in how far he came.
“It’s a course unlike the courses we play,” he said of Maumee Bay. “Water and bunkers. We have trees around here. It will be windy on the water. We have to go to a place we’re unfamiliar with and play our best. Sometimes that’s good.
“If you’re familiar, you can get in your own head with expectations. If you’re unfamiliar, you can go in with a clear head and shoot your best. If we all stay focused and have a good day, we can make state as a team.”
mhorn@gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Clyde golfer Josh Swartz keeps journey in fairway after car crash
