News

Even though he was three years old at the time, Chase Couchman still remembers the 7-iron that was given to him by his father, which sparked his passion for the sport. 

“He gave me a cut-down 7-iron that I kept hitting the back of it,” laughed Couchman, who is one of the five freshmen players on this year’s Montcalm Community College Centurions men’s golf team. “The next year he gave me a left club, and I just fell in love with the sport from there.” 

The Holly native’s passion for golf paid off in his high school years, earning three MVP honors on the varsity golf team. After finishing third individually in the Flint Metro League Conference Championship as a junior, he took the individual title the following year as a senior, which got the attention of MCC head coach Doug Harkema and assistant coach and scout Zack Gascoyne.  

“When we were recruiting him, his dad was the head coach of Holly’s high school team. So we knew we were getting a guy who was in a golf family,” Harkema said. “Our No. 1 recruiting thing is that they love golf. The kid can flat out play, too.” 

Harkema also said he’s been able to get to know Chase on a personal level, as both of them enjoy playing guitar. 

Couchman, who was a dual-sport athlete at Holly, also competing in wrestling, is following in his father’s footsteps in golf, as Dan Couchman played collegiate golf, too, as a member of the Oakland Community College team.  

Chase said it was his father who fueled his passion for golf, but he also was key to Chase’s strength in the sport, which is chipping and putting, getting him a putting mat that he said he spent 90% of his golf practice on. 

“I’ve always been a good putter,” Chase said. “I think my short game has helped me get to where I am today. I can hit the ball pretty far, but not as far as the other guys. But I make up for it with the shots up on the green.” 

That short game helped him secure a No. 1 ranking in the Flint area during his high school years, which Harkema said is a highly competitive area for golfers. Harkema pointed out Couchman was the first person from Holly to earn that first-place ranking, believing the last Holly golfer to do it was Chase’s father.  

It has also helped him this year, as he was named to this year’s MCCAA All-Conference Team with teammates Kenny Mitchell (Cedar Springs, Mich.) and fellow freshman Landon Elder (Louisville, Ky.). Couchman and Elder were also named to the MCCAA All-Freshman Team. 

After Chase graduated from Holly, he wrote down things he wanted from whatever college he chose to attend. When MCC came calling, he said the community college checked almost every box. 

“The coaching staff at MCC made me decide to come here,” Chase said. “It sounded like a good program and it covered a lot of what I wanted in a college. The college and campus area is pretty much a copy-and-paste of my hometown. The campus is pretty and I always like walking around it because it’s calming, which helps when I get stressed.” 

Chase joined a Centurions golf team that made some significant strides last year, winning a regional title and making an appearance in the NJCAA Division II National Championship tournament. With only two players returning from that team — Mason Blair (Holt, Mich.) and Mitchell — Harkema said Chase is one of the key golfers to help the team return to nationals, despite only being a freshman.  

“He’s super talented and is only getting better,” Harkema said. “Next year, he will be like Mason is now and he’s already close to that.” 

As with the rest of the freshman golfers, Harkema said Chase only needs to learn to be more consistent with his game. He said Chase also needs to pick himself up whenever things aren’t going his way, which is something most freshman players are conflicted with coming onto a college-level team. 

Harkema believes Chase’s tendency to be hard on himself is thinking he has to have an ultra-level performance to help the team, a habit he picked up during high school. 

“His high school team wasn’t as good, so he put a lot of pressure on himself to play at his best to help the team as best he could,” Harkema said. “He thought he had to play lights-out, or they didn’t have a chance. But he has to realize that he doesn’t have to do that with this team because we have a good team. He’s on a good path to change that mindset.” 

Chase said he has gotten comfortable with the Centurions team quickly and has been enjoying getting to know his teammates, which he now calls his friends.  

“All the freshmen live in the same area, so being close, that helps,” he said. “We constantly play our best for each other. We practice a lot together, too. So, we’ve established a really good bond. In the long run, I think that’s going to make for a really strong sophomore team.” 

He said that has helped his confidence with each tournament he competes in. 

“My dad’s whole thing he taught me was to just be you,” Chase said. “He taught me that whatever tournament I’m in, it’s no different than any other tournament I’ve been in before. So, that’s what I do. Pretty much be myself, come in with confidence and remember that even though I’m in stronger fields, it doesn’t mean I don’t belong here.”