Former Ryle standout flourishing on UK’s golf course

By Adam Turer • kysports@communitypress.com

When you’re comfortable playing against PGA Tour pros, facing off against the country’s top collegiate golfers is not quite as fearsome as it would otherwise be.

For Ryle High School alum and University of Kentucky golfer Cody Martin, playing against the best helps him improve his game.

Martin was a five-time letterwinner for the Ryle golf program and graduated in 2009. He redshirted his first year at UK and was one of the team’s top players last season.  Martin spent part of his offseason trying to qualify for the U.S. Open.

For the second time in three years, he advanced to the sectional qualifier, the second step in qualifying for the Open. In June, he competed in the sectional qualifier in Columbus. Martin was in a grouping with PGA Tour pros, but was not intimidated by their play.

“It was definitely a good learning experience,” said Martin, who shot a 67 in the first round before fading over the next two days. “The pros are a little more polished than I am. Our good shots are the same, but their bad shots are better than my bad shots. I’m close, they’re just a little ahead of me now.”

It is no surprise that Martin feels at home competing against professionals considering that his father, Doug, spent nine years on the PGA Tour. The elder Martin was a three-time All-American golfer at the University of Oklahoma and has been Cody’s personal coach since the son picked up his first club.
Living in Lexington, the biggest challenge for Cody has been not having his father nearby to help him with his game. When he was in high school, Martin could come home from school or practice and ask his dad to critique his game. Now, that assistance comes primarily over the phone.

“The biggest difference now is that I can’t see my dad every day,” Martin said. “I’ve learned how to figure things out on my own and become a student of my own game.”  There are several other differences between the college game and high school that Martin has noticed. If you were the best golfer on your high school team, as Martin was at Ryle, chances are each of your teammates and opponents was the best player on their high school team as well.

“In high school, most of us were the big fish in a little pond. Now, it’s the opposite,” said Martin. “In high school, I could have an off day and still win the tournament. Now, I can play three great rounds and still finish out of the top 10 if I have one bad round.”

The courses are also much nicer and more consistent at the college level, said Martin. He particularly enjoys playing Bulls Bay in South Carolina each year. Martin had his best tournament last season at Magnolia Grove in Mobile, Ala.  “The worst course we play in college would probably be one of the best, if not the best, courses we played in high school,” Martin said. “That’s definitely one of the best things about playing college golf.”

The Wildcats play their first tournament in September, but Martin said he has been preparing for this season since February. Entering his redshirt sophomore season, Martin has high expectations for himself and his teammates.

“I think this will be our best team since I’ve been here,” he said. “We return our top three players from last fall. I think we’ll be a deeper and more consistent team this year.”

Former Ryle standout flourishing on UK’s golf course