PORT ANGELES — By any measurement, Joe Barnes had an incredible golf season.
What makes it especially unbelievable is he wasn’t even playing golf a year ago.
It isn’t that he wasn’t playing high school golf for Port Angeles. He wasn’t playing golf at all.
Barnes’ focus was baseball, and he also played football and basketball.
When an elbow injury derailed his baseball career, he needed a spring sport to replace it.
He chose golf and wasted no time excelling.
Two MVP awards
Now the junior can add the All-Peninsula boys golf MVP to his Olympic League MVP.
He also won the Higgins Invitational trophy and was the Duke Streeter co-champion.
Despite playing alongside talented and experienced teammates Jordan Negus and Garrett Payton, Barnes led the Roughriders in birdies and pars.
The highlight of his season came in the 2A state tournament.
“The best part was the feeling after leading the state tournament after the first day,” Barnes said.
“I can’t describe it.”
Barnes finished the state tournament in sixth place, following up his opening-day score of 75 with a second-round 82.
He chalked up his drop from the top spot to “a couple of bad holes,” including a triple-bogey on the second hole.
A good day
But his coach put the second day into perspective.
“Most high school kids would love an 82,” Mark Mitrovich said.
Count Mitrovich, the All-Peninsula boys golf coach of the year, among those surprised by Barnes’ out-of-nowhere-out-of-this-world season.
But Mitrovich also might be the best person to attempt to pin down exactly how Barnes excelled so quickly:
■ He has the natural ability to play the game right away, combined with the passion and hard work, combined with the ability to understand the game.
■ He’s a quick, tenacious learner. Learns from his mistakes. Flexible enough to make adjustments.
■ He has a strong, repeatable swing. Controls the ball. Consistent ball striker, good around greens. Good hand-eye coordination.
As the list grows, Barnes’ season starts to make some sense.
Perhaps most telling is the amount of time he puts into his new craft.
“He knows the hard work involved and does it,” Mitrovich said. “He hit more balls than anybody. He outworked everybody.”
Mitrovich isn’t as quick to speak when asked what Barnes needs to improve.
“He needs to experience that [state-tournament] level of competition more often,” he said after pausing for a few moments.
“There is no substitute for tournament experience.”
Barnes is getting some of that experience by participating in the Washington Junior Golf Association this summer.
He also got a job at Peninsula Golf Club, which will give him even more access to the course and driving range.
Barnes said the biggest adjustment is not dwelling on mistakes, especially with such a small margin for error.
“The hardest thing is forgetting about the last shot and moving on when you hit a bad one,” Barnes said.
“Golf is harder than other sports, because each little bit doesn’t matter [in other sports]. If you make a mistake, you can redeem yourself.
“In golf, every shot matters.”
Despite Barnes’ work ethic and natural ability, Mitrovich can’t help but be amazed as Barnes makes golf look so, well, easy.
The week before the state tournament, the Port Angeles coach provided what might be the best explanation of Barnes’ swift rise.
“He’s the exception,” Mitrovich said.
