Scholar Stories: Aussie Pilon Channeling Golf's Mental Side into Studies
10/31/2018 10:09:00 AM | Men's Golf, Features
Continuing the popular series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Prairie Farms.
By Brad Rudner
There's perhaps no sport more maddening than golf. Whether it's playing on the weekend or practicing swings daily, the biggest obstacle is often the one between one's ears.
Sophomore Charlie Pilon of the University of Michigan men's golf team is one of those guys who works at it daily. When he's not studying -- he's majoring in sport management -- he's working on his game: driving, chipping, putting. With every stroke, there's ample time for thought and it's that part that sums up his advice for the amateur golfer.
"Stay patient," he said. "The best players are the ones who take their time. If you enjoy the game and aren't taking it too seriously, then there's no point in getting upset. If you're going to spend half your day playing golf, you might as well enjoy it.
"Golf is a competitive game. In most sports, you don't have time to think. You just react. Golf is a lot more about what goes on in your head. You have more time to think between each shot, as you approach the shot and as you stand over your shot. It's a mental grind."
Pilon hails from Wagga Wagga, Australia, and is adjusting to American college life just fine despite being close to 10,000 miles away from home. The town with a population of 70,000 is sandwiched between Melbourne and Australia in New South Wales, but isn't as "outback" as you'd think.
Largely due to the dry and arid climate, Wagga Wagga has only two golf courses. Pilon lived on 15 acres of land and his father, Wayne, a tradesman, turned some of that land into the family's own personal driving range. He'd set barrels up 50 yards out and add a new one every 10 yards, big drums that you'd try and chip in to. It was here that Charlie perfected his swing.
When he was 14 years old, Pilon left home to attend Hills International School, a golf-centric boarding school in Jimboomba. Australia has produced plenty of top-tier professionals -- Jason Day, Adam Scott, Greg Norman -- and Pilon hoped to be the next. He still might someday.
He was a three-time champion of the Gary Player Classic at the Pacific Golf Club, winning the 15-and-under division in 2014 and then two straight 16-17 age division titles in 2015 and 2016. The last guy to do that: Jason Day (2004-05).
That's pretty good company.
As Pilon kept finding success on the course, his rankings went up. For six months in 2016, he was the No. 1-ranked junior in Australia. That's when he began to hear from college coaches. Because recruiting trips to that part of the world are difficult, all those coaches had to go on were scores from major tournaments and the occasional swing video on YouTube.
"I always wanted to play college golf," he said. "I wanted a balance of getting a great education and being able to golf. It was a dream of mine."
With his father by his side, Pilon flew to the U.S. and crammed four official visits in one week. Michigan got one. So, too, did Ohio State, Iowa State and Memphis. It was a whirlwind tour. But if not for mom and dad, he may never have visited Ann Arbor in the first place.
"Honestly, my parents persuaded me a little bit. They at least wanted me to take a visit," he recalls. "I did a little research back home. Michigan is a prestigious institution. Once I got here, it felt similar to home. I fell in love with the campus and thought it was the place for me."
Pilon was drawn to sport management because it was the intersection of business and sport.
"Sports have played a huge part in my life. Not just with golf, but with Australian football, rugby, cricket. I played them all the time," he said. "If I'm not going to make it in sports, I want a job to do with sports. Sport management is the perfect mix of that."
This semester, he's taking SM 217: Business Communication, SM 241: Sports Economic & Policy, SM 246: Principles of Marketing and SM 249: Research Methods.
"A lot of people see sport management and don't have a clear idea of what that is," he said. "I'm really enjoying the marketing course right now. I'm learning about target audiences, what they try to achieve with different strategies, how it's changed. It's very engaging. Something I might do later on."
Michigan has a relatively young team this year with only one senior (Nick Carlson). Pilon is a part of a young core that wants to build off improvements last year and make something special.
Golf may be an individual game, but Pilon is making sure that everything he does is for the team.
"A lot of pride," he said, when asked about what wearing the Maize and Blue means to him. "The opportunity Michigan has given, I'm very grateful. Every time I put on the Block 'M,' it's go time."
Players Mentioned
