While most kids were learning their ABC’s and hopscotch, junior Mark Solomon was watching the sun set on a field of green with a club in his hand.

“I started playing when I was four. My dad introduced the game to me. He started paying for lessons and I got better,” Solomon said.

With 11 years of experience under his belt, Solomon joined the CMR golf team his freshman year and is continuing to play for the 2012 season.

“It was a goal for me to play. Getting more competition is what golf is about,” he said.

However, Solomon has played football and soccer in the past and said that he notices many differences in the sport of golf.

“If you make a bad shot, it’ll stick in your head,” he said. Solomon recalls such shots skewering his game in Billings this year.

According to Solomon, a “good mental mindset” is the cure for such a problem.

“You [have to] say, ‘that shot is behind me. [I] can do it,’” he said. With this mindset, Solomon said he placed third his freshman year, a feeling that he said was one of the greatest in all of his golf experiences so far.

“Every day has its unique time. [I]stay focused. [CMR players] are my friends; they support me. It motivates me.”