Marquette golf coach Steve Bailey expressed a lot of excitement at the beginning of the spring season, and a big part of that was due to the arrival of freshman Adam Chester. Chester began competition back in February and Bailey has been impressed so far with the strides the Morcambe, England native has taken.
“Coming from a different country there’s a lot to adjust to, and he’s done a good job of working hard and really preparing for that,” Bailey said. “He’s got a great work ethic and a lot of different shots, but to be the best player he can be, he’s got to work a lot on his short game, which he’s been doing.”
Chester compared the American style of play to darts, with the calmer, tree-lined courses calling for a lot more emphasis on ball placement than the wide open, windy courses he grew up with.
Chester was first introduced to golf by his father, Ian, at the age of four. The early start and great support of his father helped him develop into a successful player at the junior level. Chester attended Morcambe Community High School where he served as captain of the golf team from 2008-’10.
He won the England and Wales regional final of the Faldo series in 2008, was selected to the England Schools National Team, won the Lancaster Schoolboy’s Final in 2010 and won the Lancaster Foursomes in 2011. When the time came to move on to college play, Marquette stood out to Chester.
“I won some big junior tournaments at the right times, and it gave me the opportunity to sign up with an agency in England at the age of 16 that promoted me across America,” Chester said. “I got a lot of offers from a lot of universities, but when I first came to Marquette it just felt right. The team and coaches really made me feel at home, and it felt like one big family.”
Chester was uncertain at first about the Milwaukee weather and its stark difference from his hometown climate, but said that the facilities at Marquette have helped lessened the impact of cold weather on his game.
“It’s been a little different for me having to sit out from course play in the winter,” Chester said. “We very, very rarely get snow in England, and when we do, it’s only for a matter of hours.”
Along with the weather, Chester said that Marquette has enabled him to completely change in terms of time management and time efficiency thanks to a tight schedule.
“When I was back home I basically played golf full time and played whenever I wanted to, but here I have less time to play so I’m more efficient with the playing time I do have,” Chester said. “I had contact with coaches every day back home, but coach Bailey has put a lot more emphasis on getting better every single day. It’s a new philosophy that I’ve really enjoyed taking on.”
Chester finished third on the team in the Golden Eagles’ most recent tournament at the Bandon Dunes Championships and led the team with a 1 over par 72 in the final round.
“I feel like I made huge strides at Bandon Dunes in my putting game,” Chester said. “I put in a few hours of work on my short game with coach Bailey before the final round, and the beauty of it was that I didn’t feel like I played very well in the third round, but I was still able to put up a low score.”
As Chester, his coach and his teammates have said, the Englishman still has a long way to go to become the best player he can be, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have an end in mind.
“Augusta National would be really fun to play, but I would probably have to be in the Masters to do so,” Chester said. “I feel like I need a bit more practice before I can get to that level.”
