Great Kids Par for the Course at Edmonds-Woodway

As far back as he can remember, Dylan Merrill has been on or near a golf course.

“My grandparents put me out there when I was in diapers,” he said this week from Nile Golf and Country Club in Mountlake Terrace. Merrill is now 15, a freshman, and the No. 1 player on the boys’ golf team.

Merrill and his teammates, under the guidance of first-year coach Drew Prichard, were getting in a few rounds on Nile’s challenging back nine as they prepared for another match. It was overcast and drizzling, but when you have to practice, you have to practice.

Merrill has played golf continuously since he was 9. “My Dad played with me a lot then,” he said. “Mostly, he just caddies for me now.” The young star, in addition to a great golf game, has a wicked sense of humor. “My Mom caddies for me, too. She’s the talkative one. She’s funny. She can always get me out of a bad mood.”

Prichard knew he had a major talent when Merrill shot two-over-par during tryouts. This year, his best game came last month when he shot par 73 on the 18-hole Battle Creek Golf Course in Marysville. He has a 3-stroke handicap, not bad for a 15-year-old. His game can only blossom with experience and a filling out of his lanky 5’11” and 145-pound frame. Merrill says his strength is his approach shot, and he is working on refining his short game.

Merrill isn’t the only standout on the varsity team. He joins seniors Matt Thornton, Nick Nguyen and Ty Tindall; junior Karl Gerde; and sophomore Keaton Yalowicki.

Thornton, a co-captain along with Tindall—who shot a team-best par 33 last month during a nine-hole competion at Nile—only took up golf in high school. He’s now one of the team’s most reliable players. “I haven’t broken par,” he said, “but I have hit the high 70s a few times.”

For those who may not be golf-savvy, a score in the high 70s is a number most amateur golfers would kill for.

“We’re a competitive team,” said Prichard. “Unfortunately, we are in one of the toughest leagues in the state.” At the team’s latest tournament, on Tuesday, the top two teams in the league, Kamiak and Jackson, finished one-two and EW placed fourth. Merrill had the top score for EW with a 39 on the par-36, nine-hole course at Mill Creek Golf and Country Club. The winning Kamiak player shot 35. “But it’s good to play against the best,” Prichard said. “It forces you to play your best.”

Prichard says he’s glad to have a cohesive group of kids his first year. “It’s great to have three seniors who already know what it’s all about. At this level, it’s about organization and having a good time. It’s like an extension of the classroom. Even though golf is an individual sport, you have teammates depending on you. What you do affects others.”

So does Prichard himself play golf? He does.

“But,” he said, “most of these kids are better than I am.”

A fundraiser for the Edmonds-Woodway boys’ golf team will be held May 14 at Nile Golf and Country Club. To sign up, or for more information, email thegerdes@gmail.com.