For Jackson Loomis, golf became a lot more enjoyable once the pressure disappeared.
The Eisenhower High School senior entered this season with a different mindset than in years past. Knowing he would not continue golfing in college allowed him to focus less on proving himself and more on appreciating his final high school season.
“Honestly my main focus was just to have fun,” Loomis said. “Knowing that I’m not going to play golf in college definitely took some weight off my shoulders knowing that I didn’t have to prove anything.”
That relaxed mentality has helped produce one of the best seasons of Loomis’ career. After posting a scoring average of 81.3 in 2025, Loomis improved to a 79.3 average this season while also earning second-team all-league honors.
Loomis credits much of his success to two strengths — his length off the tee and his mental approach to the game.
“I would say my two strengths are my length off the tee and my mental game,” Loomis said. “Having the length off the tee definitely helps on the longer courses. Having much shorter irons into greens makes for more scoring opportunities.”
Just as important has been his ability to stay composed throughout a round. Golf can quickly become frustrating after a bad hole, but Loomis said he has learned how to move on and stay positive for both himself and his teammates.
“For me, bouncing back after a bad hole is very easy to do because I don’t let the hole prior stay in my head,” Loomis said. “For my team, it helps by keeping a positive attitude and staying consistent.”
Loomis also spent the offseason sharpening one of the most important parts of his game — his wedges. He focused on improving touch shots, distance control and accuracy from varying yardages in hopes of creating more scoring chances.
“During the offseason, I spent a lot of time practicing different wedge shots, controlling distance and improving accuracy from different yardages,” Loomis said.
While Loomis has enjoyed the personal growth in his game, team success remains the top priority. Eisenhower has qualified for the state tournament in each of the last three seasons, and Loomis hopes the Tigers can continue that streak one more time before his high school career ends.
“A successful year for my team would definitely be making it to state,” Loomis said. “Making state the last three years definitely puts more pressure on us to make it one last time. Not just making it to state, but also placing at state would be nice too.”
