Austin senior James Snee is no stranger to playing varsity golf. Snee was brought up to the varsity squad as an eighth-grader, but as he has grown more accustomed to competing at a high level, he’s still found a way to keep learning lessons.

Snee is hoping to crack down on his chipping and putting to help keep his scores consistent this spring, but the biggest part of his game he needs to focus on is in his head.

He’s hoping to keep his cool.

“The mental part of the game is the toughest part of golf. You can’t get too mad and it teaches you about patience,” Snee said.

Austin head coach Matt Raso said Snee will score a lot more birdies this year if he cleans up his putts and wedge game. Raso, who has coached the Packers for three years, has seen Snee grow every year as a golfer and competitor.

“When I first got him, you could see he had the potential and each year he has gotten better,” Raso said. “Just like any golfer you wish those strides would be in bigger bounds, but he was a consistent 81 scorer for us. We’re adding new things to the list each year for him and we set the bar high.”

Snee, who plans on playing tournaments after high school, said he had some great leaders help teach him the game when he was a younger player.

“I’ve learned how to play the game a lot and I’m a lot smarter. I make a lot better decisions,” Snee said. “I learned a lot from Alex Thorson and Tony Baudler and they helped show me how to be a good leader.”

Snee said time has flown by with the golf team and it’s hard for him to believe this is his last season with the Packers. He’s hoping that he can make this last year count.

“It’s gone by really fast. I’m kind of sad it’s the last year, but hopefully I can teach the younger kids what I know,” Snee said.

Snee said the toughest part of playing golf is dealing with the tough days. The best part is when he knows he has a big challenge in front of him on a meet day.

“I like the tension of walking up to the tee at a tournament and knowing you have to come through and this is what you’ve been practicing for,” Snee said.

The Packers will open their season at Hayfield 9:30 a.m. April 9 and they will host Northfield at Austin Country Club 2:30 p.m. April 18.