Most coaches try to help their players succeed, but for the new assistant girls golf coach, physics teacher Tim Kuhlman it’s also about “having fun.”

Kuhlman, a former high school golfer himself, is wrapping up his first season coaching under head coach Kristen Samp.

“I just want mostly to have a good time,” Kuhlman said early in the season. “I want them to at least see the fun aspects of golf and enjoy playing it, and, you know, want them to come out and do it next year.”

The team was serious about this year’s golf season. The Lions finished third in league. Such a strong finish corresponded with some of Kuhlman’s goals for the season.

“Just be competitive at every tournament we play and just avoid mental mistakes, and just play solid golf, be able to come home at the end of each tournament and be proud of what we did,” he said.

Growing up, Kuhlman was always around golf. He began playing the sport with his dad in fifth grade. In ninth grade, Kuhlman played for the Free State High School junior varsity team but gave it up for other time commitments.

As a golfer, Kuhlman’s best round was 84 — 12 shots over par. On nine holes, he once finished just three over par.

“One of them was in a tournament — the 84 was a tournament score,” he said. “The other I was just playing with my dad that time.”

His return to the high school golf scene came when he learned that Mike Lewis, the previous coach, was resigning from girls golf in order to spend more time with his family.

“When I saw coach Lewis resign at the end of last year, I was interested in applying and seeing what I could do to help out,” Kuhlman said.

For Kuhlman golfing is “just a relaxing way to spend the day and just kind of internalize your own thoughts, and go out and enjoy nice weather and hopefully do well at something you enjoy doing.”

However, Kuhlman says that this year will be his last year of coaching golf.

“I don’t want to be assistant coaching for free when I can be spending time with my wife,” he said.