Newton Falls 'ace' set for state


Newton Falls golfer Logan Beechy will compete at the Division II state golf tournament beginning today.
By Ryan Buck
NEWTON FALLS
Last fall, Logan Beechy accomplished a feat of which every golfer dreams.
Then a high school junior, Beechy fired a hole-in-one at Riverview Golf Course in a match with Champion. It was the first ace for both him and the Newton Falls golf program.
“I’ve got a little trophy in the trophy case up there right now,” Beechy said of the award that commemorated the shot.
Today, Beechy will make more history for Newton Falls as he’ll be the first golfer in school history to compete at the state tournament.
“I always wanted to qualify for state and being the first one from Newton Falls is just a great honor,” he said.
He’ll be competing in Division II at Ohio State’s Scarlet course.
“We’ve got a few firsts here this year,” said Falls coach and athletic director Scott Kernen, who also led the Tigers to their first appearance in the district tournament. “We’re not necessarily known for being a golf school.”
The game is a family affair for Beechy.
He first swung a club at Forest Oaks Golf Club, owned by his grandparents. He developed his game at Duck Creek Golf Course, which his father, Mickey, bought when Logan was young.
“I was out there every day,” Beechy said. “It helped me develop my whole swing, my whole game, and without that I probably wouldn’t be the golfer I am today.”
He earned All-American Conference honors all four years of high school, but it wasn’t until two weeks ago at the district tournament at Windmill Lakes that he finally qualified for the state tournament. His three-over par 73 placed second.
“That was the last opportunity I had my senior year and there was a lot of pressure,” Beechy said of his performance in soggy conditions at the rain-delayed tournament. “It was a big weight lifted off my shoulders.”
Kernen’s top player combines natural talents with an attitude perfect for navigating the Scarlet Course, rated the seventh-best collegiate course in America by GolfWeek magazine.
“There are some kids that will take things too seriously to the point that they’ll get too nervous and amped up,” said Kernen. “He is calm, cool and collected. Bad shots won’t affect him as much as it would other kids.”
Beechy knows what he wants out of this weekend.
“My expectations are just to stay calm, play my game, and hopefully come out of there in the mid-70s or even lower than that,” he said.
Would a medal or a trophy top his hole-in-one?
“Yeah,” he said. “Quite a bit.”