Last year, the Bils vs. Battishill Brawl was a smashing success. A seemingly stupid idea that was hatched one night in the office turned into the first thing my interview subjects would mention. It was relatable and funny, a sports nerd destroying one of his best friends in the games he loves and the nerd returning fire with dominant video game performances.

When the other half of the Brawl (former managing editor Glenn Battishill) graduated, we were left with a hole in our hearts and a hole in the paper. It just didn’t feel right to replace Glenn to continue the Brawl, so I decided to come up with something new. The result: the Collegian Challenge, in which I (an average athlete at best) will pit myself against some of the best that Division II has to offer. I hope you enjoy reading as I get my butt kicked and develop a newfound respect for just how good these athletes are at what they do.

For the first Challenge, I decided to take on two of the best golfers this campus has to offer. Eric Dowiatt and Ashley Franks agreed to a round at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Norwalk. What resulted was a complete butt-whooping and a reflection on why I have such strong feelings – both good and bad – for the game of golf.

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There was a time when I thought I was going to be a college athlete. Looking back, it might have been a larger reason than I want to admit for why I came to Ashland. My plan when I got here as a freshman was to walk on to the golf team. I had a somewhat successful high school golf career and just could not see myself giving up that part of my life. I practiced all summer, and the week before I was set to move in I played the best golf of my life. I remember shooting between 74 and 78 from the back tees at my home course for the entire week and being so proud of myself. I was convinced that I was going to make the team and make a name for myself just like I had in high school.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. I was forced to take a few days off as I prepared to go to college, and when I started practicing again when I got to Ashland it felt like I was starting over. My swing was reduced to mush and I shot 45 on the front nine at Ashland Country Club, ending my competitive golf career. Even though I was crushed at the time, looking back I do not think I would have been able to pursue the opportunities offered to me by the Journalism and Digital Media department. I probably would not be writing this article as the managing editor of The Collegian.

For the last three years, I have had neither time nor money to work on my golf game. I was a little burnt out after playing so much since high school, and the failed tryout was an excuse to push the game away. That changed this summer, when I took a job at The Pines Golf Course in Orrville. I mowed greens in the morning and played golf in the afternoon. I fell back in love with the game of golf, and instead of cursing and moaning when I had a bad round I was able to fully enjoy myself on a golf course for the first time in what seemed like forever.

There was a brief moment, however, after I broke 80 for the first time since the summer after my senior year that I got the itch for competitive golf again. I was seeing the shots that I wanted to hit and executing them, and even though my scores weren’t as good as they had been in the past (low to mid-80s), I wanted to test myself in a tournament environment.

In high school, golf was my identity. I had a close-knit group of friends on the team and we worked tirelessly to become the best team in school history. I made All-Conference my junior and senior year and in 2009 we went undefeated in matches and were the first team from Arlington High School to appear in the District tournament, placing eighth.

Now, for a brief moment, I wanted that challenge again. I wanted to prove that I was good enough to play in college. I wanted the adrenaline of standing on the first tee and trying to beat the guy next to me.

Then, just like that, my game fell apart again. I developed a nasty hook and my scores started creeping up again. That was when I remembered why I hated golf. I remembered all of the times after high school rounds when I secluded myself on the practice green and wondered why I even bothered. I remembered the intense frustration I felt after I shot 86 at the conference tournament my senior year and gave away a shot at my school’s first conference championship.

Anyone who plays golf will tell you that his or her relationship with the game is a complicated one. No game is more difficult. Jack Nicklaus once said that if he hit one shot exactly the way he pictured it then it was a good day. That’s the best player in the history of the game. For the rest of us, it is just sheer madness.

So when I decided to take on some of AU’s best golfers for the first edition of this column, I had no idea what to expect. I only hoped that I would be competitive, but that quickly went out the window. I was still fighting my nasty hook and watched my drive on the second hole go out of bounds and my fourth shot nestle up next to the lip of a greenside bunker, where I was unable to get it out of the sand. The ensuing triple bogey set the tone for the day, and I ended up shooting 47 on the front nine.

Meanwhile, Eric and Ashley were showing me what a college golfer is supposed to look like. Eric had a birdie on the first hole and cruised to an even par 36 while Ashley came back from three bogeys in the first four holes to shoot 38.

My struggles continued on the back nine, where I started with three bogeys and a double bogey. Even though I pulled back a couple of pars and shot 43, I came nowhere near matching my opponents. Eric had a rough stretch that saw him go to three over par on the day, but a chip-in eagle on 18 gave him a one-over 71. Ashley stayed consistent, playing the entire round with nothing higher than a bogey, and shot 76.

I was slightly embarrassed and disappointed at my poor performance, but mostly it made me reflect on what golf has meant to me and how that has changed since high school. I wondered how my life would be different if I had made the team in 2010. Would I be shooting the types of scores that Eric and Ashley did, or would I have gotten frustrated and burnt out without my close friends and my coach from high school there to push me? Would I have quit to focus on my major?

I will never know, and after having this summer to re-explore the game and its thrills and frustrations, I am finally ok with that. I was never meant to play golf in college. All of those hours I put in during high school were not wasted. They provided some of my best memories, taught me lessons I might not have learned otherwise and gave me a hobby that I can enjoy for the rest of my life.

Now, who wants to hit the links?