Joe Drennan
Sports EditorThe Forest Lake High School boys golf team will have a new coach next season for the first time in 21 years.
Roger Cheyne first took charge of the boys golf team in 1983 after the then coach, Jim Lindstrom, stepped down.
ìJim and I are about the same age so I never thought there was a chance to become the high school coach,î Cheyne said. ìJim decided to let the golf coach job go and I applied for it. The rest is history.î
Cheyne coached golf and several other sports at the junior high level before he became the high school boys golf coach.
Before his day began as a coach, the Hamline University graduate was a social studies teacher at the high school. Cheyne started out as a social studies teacher at what is now Southwest Junior high in 1970. In 1975 Cheyne began a 10 year endeavor in the WCEP program. In 1986 the program was dropped and Cheyne had a few choices, but the most appealing one to him was to become a high school social studies teacher.
After he walks away from it all, Cheyne says he will miss the relationships with the kids and his fellow teachers.
ìThose are the things that mean more than what class I taught or what I coached,î Cheyne said.
From a coaching standpoint there are many memories Cheyne will take with him into retirement, but there are plenty of things he will miss.
ìIíll miss the adrenaline rush of the early season,î Cheyne said. ìGolf is not a sport you can play all year in Minnesota so you have to get geared up for it in a hurry. Iíll miss the kids that have been on the team for a while as I wonít be there to see them finish their high school careers.î
There are a few things Cheyne wonít miss though like the cold days on the courses early in the season or the long drives to and from outings across the area.
ìI also wonít miss when kids donít make the cut,î Cheyne said. ìKids want to play everyday but you canít play everybody.î
One of the perks of being a high school golf coach is the coaches get to golf some of the nicest courses in the state along with their athletes.
ìIíll definitely miss getting a chance to play on some really nice golf courses,î Cheyne said.
The golfers
Over the course of his 21 years as the Rangers golf coach Cheyne has worked with many golfers. Some of the golfers he has coached have moved on to play golf at the collegiate level and even went on to become professional golfers.
The White Bear Yacht Club golf pro Tom Skoglund played for Cheyne while in high school in Forest Lake.
Cheyne also coached Trinity Dimmich who finished third at the state tournament for the best finish in Rangers history.
When he began coaching, Cheyne said teams had one to two quality golfers and the really good teams had a third one. As he ends his coaching career, Cheyne says that now teams have four to six quality golfers.
ìThe scores are a little bit lower than when I started,î Cheyne said. ìMaybe thatís a little bit due to technology, who knows.î
Retirement
Now that he will have more time during the day, Cheyne says he plans to golf earlier in the day, something he couldnít do while teaching. Traveling the U.S. is another thing Cheyne plans to do.
When not playing golf or traveling, Cheyneís Labrador retrievers will keep him busy. Cheyne says he plans several walks a day with his dogs.
As the cold weather moves into Minnesota, Cheyne plans to head west to Arizona and California to visit his sons. While visiting his sons he can also golf and ski.
ìI feel really good about the career I had and getting out at a fairly young age where I can still do a lot of stuff.î
Retiring young also leaves the door open for Cheyne to come back from time to time as a substitute teacher. As of right now he says he hasnít ruled out the possibility.
ìI enjoyed working with the kids,î Chenye said. ìI canít say I am leaving some huge mark on the school, but I enjoyed my time and the kids and staff that I worked with.î
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