A host of young men have been part of Coach Nathan Altizer’s golf program during his 27 years of coaching, including the last 24 years as varsity coach here.
Altizer retired at the end of this season, having guided his teams and individual players to an impressive number of accomplishments, including winning six straight KMAC titles from 2019-2024 and taking his 2010 team to the state tournament. He said his coaching largely entails course management and keeping the golfers aware of what to expect on upcoming holes.
“Also, there’s a mental part and psychological part in trying to keep the golfers focused,” he said. “They are teenage boys, so getting them to stay focused on a four-to-five-hour round of golf can be a challenge.”
His players clearly benefited from that coaching. Altizer said one former player thanked him for teaching him to stay calm on the course; he still plays golf weekly and says he is the calmest guy on the course.
“Golf is a lifelong sport,” Altizer said, “so hopefully, the golfers I have coached over the last 27 years were able to take away at least part of the love that I have had for the game for the 45 years that I have played.”
Bennett Hill (‘25), an individual state tournament qualifier in 2024, holds the most records of any Centerburg golfer: lowest 18-hole score [tied with Jeff Butler (‘99)] and lowest scoring average for 9-holes, 18 holes, and overall. He said he benefited as a player and a person from Altizer because both in math classes and in golf he had to work hard and push himself to get better. He now plays for the Mount Vernon Nazarene University golf team.
“Coach Altizer has had a huge impact on my life and has created great memories that I will have my whole life,” he said.
Benefits go both ways. Altizer said that time spent with golfers on the course and during truck rides to and from many of the matches are among his favorite memories.
“I think coaching a high school sport helps you stay connected with the kids,” he said.
Athletic Director Rich Porter said Altizer did a great job building the program.
“It ran like a well-oiled machine, and he’s had a ton of success,” he said, noting that Altizer also took it upon himself to do all the league scheduling and handled the point system for determining league championships and other awards.
“He did a phenomenal job,” Porter said.