In an age where it seems like nearly every talented young golfer has been incessantly coached since they entered grade school, Drew Preston is a rarity.

Preston, a sophomore on the BG men’s golf team, did not even play golf until the age of 12. He has never taken a lesson. He has never had a swing coach. Preston’s game is almost purely self-taught, something seen about as often in golf these days as knickers and Tam O’ Shanter hats.

Yet, as the fall season nears its halfway point, Preston seems to be doing just fine.

He won his first college tournament in late September at the Earl Yestingsmeier Intercollegiate and backed it up with a top 15 finish this week against a tough field at the Xavier Invitational. His fine play this fall comes on the heels of a success-filled summer in which Preston earned a trip to the U.S. Amateur Championship by finishing second at his local qualifier.

‘In this day and age with so much technology, it is extremely rare to come across someone like Drew who basically taught himself,’ said BG coach Garry Winger. ‘In my years of coaching, I don’t think I’ve had anybody like that. He just has a lot of natural athletic ability and the willingness to work very hard to get better.’

Success without much assistance comes as little surprise to Preston, who has always felt more comfortable managing his game by himself.

‘Nobody knows my swing better than me,’ Preston said. ‘So I am totally comfortable with working at it myself. I’ve never done it any other way.’

As a child growing up in Ada, Mich., Preston spent much of his youth skating across frozen sheets of ice instead of strolling down grassy fairways.

Influenced by his father, a Montreal native, Preston took to the game of hockey very quickly. He strapped on his first pair of skates at the age of three and spent many of his pre-teen years as a member of various traveling squads. An ardent Detroit Red Wings fan, Preston immersed himself with everything he could that dealt with the game.

‘Hockey was, and still is, my favorite sport,’ Preston said. ‘My dad really got me into the game when I was young, and I ended up playing for 15 years.’

Preston’s first golf experience came when he was 12, via the generosity of his middle school gym teacher.

‘I was working for my teacher at a local driving range and one day he invited me out to play a round with him.’ Preston said. ‘Even though I wasn’t very good right away, I became hooked.’

Preston quickly got a set of clubs and began spending much of his time on the golf course, playing round after round. Eventually he began competing in junior golf tournaments and by the time he reached high school, he was good enough to make the varsity team as a freshman. It was around this time that Preston was faced with a dilemma. Which sport should he devote his full attention to in high school: hockey, his first love, or golf, his adopted one?

As a center, possessing only modest abilities, Preston knew that he would be a long shot to land a college hockey scholarship. With that in mind, he settled on golf.

The decision worked out beautifully. Preston would go on to become team captain for three years, as well as being named to the All-State squad his junior and senior seasons. He would lead his team to back-to-back fourth place finishes at the state tournament in 2007 and 2008, capturing the individual honors for himself in 2007 with a thrilling victory at the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.

‘Winning the state title in 2007 was probably my favorite moment on a golf course,’ Preston said. ‘Just the way it came down to the wire was unforgettable.’

Preston also did not completely abandon his favorite sport, lettering on the school’s hockey team and being named both team captain as well as a member of the All-State team in 2007 and 2008. Preston says that playing hockey definitely helped him with golf.

‘Hockey helped me athletically and also with stamina,’ Preston said. ‘You are always on the go and you always have to be very athletic. Those things definitely translated over to golf.’

Following his state title, Preston says that college interest picked up in a hurry. By his senior year, he had narrowed down the choices to Bowling Green, Indiana, Michigan State, and Miami (OH). He settled on BG because he liked the friendliness of the coaching staff and also the chance to step right in and play.

‘I liked the coaches right away,’ Preston said. ‘Assistant Coach John Piper came out to watch me play and then told Coach Winger about me. They were both very nice, and made a great offer. It was a place where I felt I could play right away, so I accepted.’

Preston wasted no time in making a contribution, making the team right away as a freshman and finishing in a tie for third in his very first collegiate event, which earned him MAC Golfer of the week.

His season was curtailed however, when he fell out of his lofted bed and suffered a head injury that forced him to spend five days in the hospital and miss one tournament. Although he came back to play in the fall, his game was not quite the same and he did not crack the top-50 in any tournament until spring rolled around.

‘It was a really disappointing start to my freshman year,’ Preston said. ‘I wanted to come in and contribute right away and for the most part I wasn’t able to do that. It was really frustrating.’

However, Preston would rebound with a strong summer and now, in his second year, he has turned into one of the more consistent performers for Garry Winger.

‘I just want to contribute to the team in any way possible,’ said Preston. ‘And I’m happy to be doing that right now. Overall, I’m playing with a lot of confidence.’

‘Drew has proven that you don’t need to be surrounded by a team of swing instructors and mental coaches in order to succeed at this level,’ Winger said. ‘He is a very mature young man and a terrific competitor. We are extremely happy to have him here.”