Stags’ Meyers growing as player

Deer Park golf coach Darren Snyder sounds more like a proud father than a high school coach when he talks about his No. 1 golfer, returning Great Northern League MVP Corey Meyers.

“He’s the type of kid I can ask to do anything,” Snyder said, “and he does it without saying a word. When I had him as a freshman and at the beginning of his sophomore season, we had sort of a tumultuous relationship. But over the last three years, he’s grown into being a kid who’s a good teammate and good opponent.”

Meyers also is a player who performs at his best against top competition. He has won the last two Stag Spring Kickoff tournaments at his home course in Deer Park. Both those events included several Greater Spokane League schools.

“I play better against better players,” Meyers said. “The guy who really makes me step up my game is Dillon Williams from Pullman. Playing guys like that gives me more to work for.”

Meyers took up golf in middle school. He tagged along with his grandmother to the golf course, beginning a journey that now has him playing nearly 150 rounds a year and looking forward to a college career in a warmer climate where he can play year-round.

“Corey has always been a good kid,” said Snyder, “but when he was younger, he was very quiet and didn’t really notice anyone else around him. What he’s learned, really, is how a good athlete behaves. That’s what I’ve tried to impress on him – when you’re an elite athlete in a small community, you’re under a microscope.

“A lot of the club members really took him under their wing,” Snyder said. “Four or five of them would play regularly with him, and they taught him about golf and etiquette. Corey really took to the nurturing they gave him, and we all saw his game improve as his temperament did.

“He really evolved as a person – he became more patient and began to realize that not every high score was the end of the world,” Snyder said.

“Now, Corey’s a real team leader. That means he works not only on his game but also helps the other kids. I really like that after he’s done practicing, he goes back out and plays with kids who aren’t as skilled as he is. He’s very approachable, and he’s always there when I need him,” the coach said.

Meyers said he also learned from Scott Huffman, the Stags’ No. 1 player two years ago.

“He helped me to know what’s expected of a No. 1,” Meyers said. “That helped a lot my junior year when I became our No. 1.

I not only improved my game, but I also became more confident.”

That confidence has extended into the classroom, where Meyers’ performance also has improved, Snyder said.

“Academics wasn’t always high on Corey’s list, but what I hear now from his teachers is how hard he works to improve.

“Right now, Corey’s doing things the right way, and it’s nice to see that good things can happen to good people,” Snyder said.

“My guys know that I don’t throw around a lot of compliments, but I want everyone to know how far Corey has come in the classroom, on the course and in the community.”

And just to prove his coach’s point, Meyers wants to make sure everyone who has helped him knows how grateful he is – his grandmother, his dad, his coaches and everyone at the golf course.