For Campo Verde golfer junior Zack Mumman, finishing 52nd in the Divison I State Tournament last week was frustrating. He felt that he could’ve played better and placed higher. When talking to him, you could tell he was thinking about his rounds, even if he was smiling.

Like in life, reflecting on past performances in sports is important. It can make you see things in a new light or view a certain aspect of yourself differently, which is why when you reflect back on how Mumman got to where he is today, 52nd place doesn’t seem too bad.

You see, Mumman started playing golf competitively only three years ago when he entered high school.

“I played as a toddler,” Mumman said. “My dad had a pair of clubs and he just gave them to me. So I kind of just did that as a hobby for about six months. Then I just got bored of it.”

Mumman played baseball most of his life, playing on all sorts of high profile club and travel ball teams throughout his childhood.

So why golf? What would make a kid with such a bright future in one of America’s biggest sports decided to quit?

“I also just got bored with baseball,” Mumman said. “I just didn’t find it as enjoyable as I used to. I wanted a change, and I knew I played golf as a little kid, so why not do it again? ”

Mumman enjoys golf now and said what he likes most about it is the uniqueness of the sport.

“It’s such a challenge every time, especially mentally,” Mumman said. “It’s not a sport where you have to be physically the best. If you’re not mentally the best then you can’t play.”

For Zack’s father, Michael, it was hard to hear that his son wanted to give up on baseball.

“I was heartbroken,” Michael said. “I love baseball, and he’s played baseball since he was five or six years old. I think he got burned out of it, probably because of me. He surprised me and said he knew I wanted him to do something, and he liked it when we went out to golf, so he asked if he could take that up and I said absolutely. ”

After that fateful conversation, Zack’s life took a full 180 and is now only focused on golf.

If you ever tried to swing a golf club, you know it can be difficult. Coming from baseball, Zack already had the basic hand-eye coordination and hip rotation mechanics in place. But the path on which you swing a baseball bat and a golf club is completely different, meaning Zack had to build his swing from the ground up.

To do that, he reached out to golf instructor Eddie Kilthau. Kilthau has been a golf instructor for 33 years and even played in the 1983 U.S. Open Championship.

When Kilthau first started working with Zack, he could tell that it wasn’t his first time swinging a club, but there was still a lot of work to get done.

“A lot of kids, I like to say, are raw,” Kilthau said. “They can hit it, they kind of swing it, but they’re not very consistent, and that was Zack. He had a lot of athletic ability. He just didn’t know what to do with it.” 

Fast forward three years and Zack is the top golfer at Campo Verde. Not only that, but he was the first of 18 to qualify individually for the state tournament. Most high school golfers, like the ones he played against in the state tournament, have been playing competitively since they were kids, which makes his accomplishments stand out even more.

According to Michael, Zack’s natural athleticism isn’t the sole factor on why he has progressed to where he is today.

“His work ethic is unbelievable,” Michael said. “He literally puts in, without any complaining, easily 30 hours a week of practice into golf.  And naturally does it while juggling everything else. He gets straight A’s, he keeps his room clean, he doesn’t leave dishes around, he does everything he’s supposed to do.” 

Zack knows his game can still grow. He’s not unhappy with how far he has gotten in these past three years, but he feels that there is a lot to improve on, mainly on the mental aspect of the game.

From what Kilthau sees, the swing is fine. At 5-foot-7, Zack can still drive the ball 280 yards on average and has good control of his short game. The only thing that’s holding Zack back is the lack of tournament golf experience.

“He doesn’t have enough experience yet in playing tournament competitive golf, because that’s where you really learn how to play and how to score lower,” Kilthau said. “But in terms of a golf swing and stuff like that, he’s doing great.”

Zack still has his senior year to look forward to as well. He wants to make a run at being in the top five in the state next year. But the ultimate goal lies beyond that.

“My goal right now is to play in college,” Zack said. “But my dream is to be on the PGA tour. It’s definitely hard, but I know I can do it. So, it’s going to take a lot of time, but I know I can get there.”

His confidence isn’t unfounded either, as Kilthau recognizes Zack’s potential to make it to that next level.

“I think he’s got the goods to be able to pull that off,” Kilthau said.

While Zack works hard to achieve his goals, Michael enjoys watching his son play and has nothing but praise for him.

“I am so proud of him,” Michael said. “I’m so proud of how hard he works. I’m so proud of his determination, his desire. It is mind-blowingly amazing just to see him on a golf course at this point, at three years into the game playing competitively, and being one of the top kids in the state is beyond comprehension. It’s crazy, I’m so proud. ”