Davidson men’s golf has a longstanding tradition of excellence, having won three Atlantic 10 (A-10) championships in the past four years. Under Head Coach Tim Straub—four-time A-10 Coach of the Year—the team has thrived, especially this year’s seniors. “Will Davis [‘25] and Joshua Stewart [‘25] both have had terrific years this year and really led the team and played solid golf all year long,” Straub said. “They’re both just extremely hard workers who lead by example and have good attitudes.”

Both seniors have racked up multiple A-10 accolades since the start of their Davidson careers. Davis won A-10 Rookie of the Year during his first season, holds two all-conference selections and competed individually in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Stewart has had similar success as an all-conference golfer. Davis and Stewart will be among a team of five competing in Orlando, Florida for the A-10 championship from April 22-24.

Golf is unique in its emphasis on individual accountability and improvement, differing from other team and individual sports in the way athletes are asked to dedicate their time. “You can sit on a putting green and putt for three hours, whereas if you’re training for another sport like swimming and running, there’s only so much that you can do in a day. But you can go up [to] 18 hours in a day if you really want to,” Stewart said. 

This dedication is shared by Davis and Adam Lauer ‘25, both of whom have tried to encourage this attitude to the younger members of the team. “I think everyone does their own thing in a way because that’s what golf is. […] Golf is more of a lead-by-example sport. […] You can’t tell someone how to play golf. It’s not one technique or one practice, it’s an all-encompassing thing,” Davis said. 

Despite golf’s individuality, the team’s small size encourages collaboration. All three seniors spoke to the importance of showing up for their teammates in all aspects of their Davidson careers. “We’re a very small team, so you spend a lot of time together, not just at the golf course, so developing those relationships on and off the golf course is important,” Davis said.

These relationships within the team must be reshaped each year as seniors graduate and freshman arrive on campus. While the transition to college and collegiate golf can be difficult, Clayton Couey ‘28 and Nate Faulkner ‘28 have done well. “They’ve grown and I think they’re getting more and more comfortable every week and every tournament. They’ve adapted well and really done a good job of coming in and being part of our team,” Straub said.

Davis gave insight into how the team is constructed throughout the year. “In the fall, it’s much more getting used to what your team and lineup is. And then this brings a whole new kind of animal. […] That’s the transition where you start to see who’s playing well, who’s been working, who’s been developing and learning how to play. So I’d say spring break is an important selection point for us.” 

Lauer agreed. “We had some players really start to find their groove around that time [spring break]. So I think that has given us some momentum going into the rest of the season.”

Assitant Coach L.D. Simmons ‘81 has greatly contributed to the team’s overall success. “Golf has become so mental, because once kids get to the Division I level, they all have the physical talent to execute golf shots and play good golf, but then it comes down to their approach and their belief in themselves,” Straub said. “So Simmons has been a great help. We’ve had a lot of success since he came on board.”

Lauer felt similarly. “He’s good at simplifying the mental game. When we’re trying to work on our mental game, being able to kind of boil it down to some simple thoughts helps us play well,” he said. 

This strong senior leadership and coaching for both the physical and mental aspects of the game has pushed the team to great success in past years. But the 2024 season did not end with an A-10 championship for Davidson. When brought up in a conversation with the three seniors, they all responded with a sigh and some variation of “Don’t remind us.” At the end of the A-10 championship on April 24, Davidson hopes to host another trophy, and the team is confident in their ability. “We’ve been great recently. So the goal is to continue to keep being great,” Davis remarked.