By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Many year ago, George Bernard Shaw penned a classic line: “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” Perhaps he was wrong. Trey Turner can do both.
Turner, a 2014 Bedford North Lawrence graduate and three-time Bedford Men’s City Golf tournament champion, has the playing pedigree to earn respect. Now he will look to return his alma mater to prominence as its head coach.
Turner, a two-time state qualifier for the Stars and accomplished college player at Taylor University, is the seventh man to coach BNL in its 50-year history, following Bob Lee, Hall of Famer Max Ramey, Bob Masterson, Frank Wintin, Mike Wright and Jeff Hein. He’s the first on that impressive list to return to guide the program after walking the fairways of Otis Park during his formative years.
Many things have changed in 10 years. Turner is now a father, and BNL has some restoration work to do with the program that birthed his career. The Stars have made 15 appearances in the state finals, the last in 2017, and they have finished in the top 10 at that level 10 times (with a best of third). Turner finished 17th in the state finals as an individual in 2014. Last season, BNL did not qualify for the regional.
“I want to get us back to playing competitive golf with the best teams in the state,” Turner said. “That’s where this program needs to be, deserves to be with its history. That starts with getting these kids to understand BNL is a proud program.”
That might not happen immediately. BNL returns only a handful with varsity experience, and there’s no seniors among the 18 players who started the first official day of practice sessions. Tyler Bellush and Drew McKee were members of last year’s sectional squad, while Carson Root made several starts during regular-season matches.
“It’s an inexperienced team,” Turner said. “We have a couple of guys with varsity experience, but we will be playing a lot of juniors and sophomores. They will be thrust in the fire early, hopefully they can get their legs under them as we progress into the season. I’m excited to see how they respond. That’s the exciting part. We just need to continue to build on that.
“I won’t place any big expectations on them. We don’t have any seniors, so they will be our leaders. I want them to show the younger guys the ropes, show them how to play and think your way around the game.”
If they’re smart, the Stars will seek advice from someone who has been there, done that. Turner is eager to pass on his knowledge and expertise to the next generation.
“I learned a lot when I came through the program, was able to build up a lot of experience and carry that on to college,” he said. “That was my foundational piece, learning how to play competitive golf on a team. It’s awesome to be able to come back and coach. I take it as a blessing to do it.
“I think it might carry some weight, but I’m just here to lend an ear on questions they have, be able to give some advice on course management and knowledge I can share. Ultimately, I just want to be here to help them.”
BNL will open the season at Seymour on Saturday.
