EFFINGHAM — Isaac Weber ventured onto a golf course for the first time when he was in the sixth grade.
You can’t keep the Teutopolis junior off of one now.
Weber wrapped up his junior season in style last weekend, helping the Wooden Shoes win the program’s first boys golf state championship. He shot a 76 on the first day and a 79 on the second at Prairie Vista Golf Course in Bloomington.
“They’ve always been known for basketball and baseball, so it’s kind of cool to win [state] in golf,” Weber said. “I knew going into the season, we had a chance, but we had to keep working for it and we ended up doing just that.”
Head coach Mike Wilson knew the talent Weber had when he first came into the program as a freshman.
“When he first came to our ‘open gyms’ as an incoming freshman, you could tell he had game and could play,” Wilson said. “The biggest thing we had to do with Isaac was get him physically stronger and he’s done that.”
Weber finished with a scoring average of 75.5 in 12 18-hole events this year.
His best score was a 69, which he fired at a 10-team tournament at Green Hills Golf Club on Sept. 15.
Weber said he doesn’t model his game after one specific player.
He said he’s received lessons over the years that have only made him better.
“There’s no one that I really model my game after. I’ve had a few lessons from some people and my dad is always giving me some tips, so I try to follow those to help improve my game.”
Wilson would best describe Weber as “cerebral.”
In fact, the only time Wilson can get words out of Weber’s mouth is when he’s describing a shot.
“When you ask him about a shot, he’s telling you, I’m going to do this and hit a little fade here or a little draw here,” Wilson said. “He really puts a lot of thought into every shot he hits.”
Weber isn’t just cerebral, though. He’s also a grinder on the course.
Every shot matters.
“You’ve got to think you’re always in it because you never know,” Weber said. “Every shot matters. Even if you’re not having a good hole, you have to keep fighting throughout your round and forget the bad shots.”
Weber is a three-time state qualifier, so Prairie Vista isn’t uncommon for him.
Weber qualified as an individual as a freshman. The team has made it the past two years.
“He’s improved every year,” Wilson said. “Freshman year, he qualified for state and had one of the best four or five rounds going into state out of the sectional. He’s just gradually improved every year and you see his improvement; you see incremental changes in his game, all for the better.”
Weber said that his short game and distance control have been significant improvements in his game.
When it came to his irons this past year, though, Wilson said there were issues.
However, that’s nothing a year can’t fix.
“His accuracy this year, as the year went on, had him starting to have issues. We just have to get that dialed back in,” Wilson said.
Weber isn’t the time of player to wear his emotions on his sleeve.
So, when he reacted on the 18th green on the second day of the state tournament, it took his coach by surprise.
“He’s very quiet in his approach; that’s why it was so interesting watching him react to his birdie putt on the 18th hole,” Wilson said. “That was a big reaction for Isaac when he pumped his fist and hit that birdie putt.”
Almost every golfer has a ritual they do before every shot.
For Weber, when he’s on the green and reading a putt, he’ll squat.
That helps him analyze the green and read the break.
“That’s what I started doing when I started playing golf,” Weber said. “It helps me read the greens, so I’ve stuck to it.
“If it works, it works.”
Wilson wouldn’t call Weber a No. 2 player.
Instead, he viewed his team as having two No. 1s.
“In essence, we had two No. 1 men this year. That’s how we looked at it and that’s what I tell the kids,” Wilson said. “When I have two kids who can go out and break par, that’s huge.”
Weber should have known he would have had a strong postseason, too.
Before it began, Weber played a practice round at Effingham Country Club.
On the second hole of that round, he managed to create an unforgettable memory, making a hole-in-one on the par-3 second.
“We just came out here for fun, just to play some holes and get the hang of the course before postseason,” Weber said. “I played the first hole and almost made a birdie putt. Then, going into the second hole, I just dunked a wedge shot.
“It was a surreal feeling, running up to the green with all of my friends. It was my first one.”