Joe McDaniel named All-Bi-City Girls Golf Coach of the Year

The 2017 season was one to remember for Columbus girls golf coach Joe McDaniel and the Lady Blue Devils, but according to McDaniel, the season’s catalyst came the year before.

McDaniel recalled the team’s banquet after the 2016 season, a year in which Columbus finished second in Class 5A. The team discussed its goals for the coming season, with the primary objective being to finish one spot higher in Class 4A.

The talk needed to be backed up with effort, which is exactly what McDaniel witnessed.

“The work really started the next week,” McDaniel said. “The girls went out, played all through the fall and worked on their games. To come together in February already playing golf and not just getting our clubs out, that made a big difference.”

The commitment paid off for the Lady Blue Devils once the regular season rolled around. Columbus captured four tournament victories in the 2017 season, with the last being the most important. The Lady Blue Devils beat Woodward Academy by three strokes to win the Class 4A state title, the ninth state championship in school history.

The championship was McDaniel’s first as head coach after being an assistant when the Lady Blue Devils won five consecutive championships. As a result of the team’s triumphs, McDaniel has been named the All-Bi-City Girls Golf Coach of the Year.

“I’m really just so happy they had such a great season,” McDaniel said. “They worked to reach the goals we set as a team, and they started seeing they could do it. They believed in it, worked harder and harder, and by the time we got to area and state, it was just a matter of getting out there and getting it done.”

Columbus’ dominance throughout the year was no small feat, especially considering the team’s youth. Sophomores Faith Scott and Mary Catherine McDaniel, Joe’s daughter, regularly duked it out for the team’s lowest score, while freshmen Maddy Krueger and Ashton Hill also put up their share of strong rounds.

McDaniel said he was nervous about the mounting pressure on his young players at state, despite their playing at the team’s home course of Maple Ridge. There was, however, one piece of the puzzle that he figures helped any anxiety disappear.

“The difference was putting the girls in the position to play in competitive tournaments against really good teams,” McDaniel said. “That would build confidence, and that’s what kind of paid off for them. Trust me, they were stoked and ready to go by the time that first day (of state) got here.”

Columbus entered the scheduled second day of the tournament with a slim lead before the weather took a turn for the worst. McDaniel knew from the forecasts that the second round’s cancellation was possible, but it wasn’t until the tournament was officially called that he let himself exhale.

“All of those emotions that you’re holding inside, it’s like holding your breath,” McDaniel said. “Finally, when they speak those words, ‘Your team is the state champions,’ it just all releases from you. It was huge. To see the girls, how excited they were, (was special). They are the ones who did all the work.”

The chance to extend the program’s strong legacy was also a meaningful experience to McDaniel.

“I have the best job at Columbus High School working with the best team at Columbus,” McDaniel said. “To me, I wanted to drive them to do well because that’s a program, not just a golf team. I want to continue that tradition and give those girls the best opportunities to put them in the best places where they can be successful.”

McDaniel said they might have all given themselves 10 days to celebrate the victory before starting work toward 2018. McDaniel benefits from not graduating any of his contributors from 2017, which leaves the door open for the start of another dynasty in the Lady Blue Devils golf program.

And now, the early jump on the season will be nothing new for McDaniel and his golfers.

“It’s going to take a lot of work to get ready for next year, but we’ve already started,” McDaniel said.

This story was originally published June 21, 2017 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Joe McDaniel named All-Bi-City Girls Golf Coach of the Year."