When our former player, Justin Pagila, found out about Coach Watts joining Second Nine he wrote us an unprompted 'testimonial' about our time together. Pretty cool to hear this from a former player! As a little background on Justin, he was one of the top 10 juniors golfers in the class of 2013 who was very highly recruited and chose West Point to serve his country. He is currently a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps after graduating WP in 2017 and cross branching into the Marines.
Rich Brazeau and Brian Watts recruited me to play golf at Army West Point and coached me while I was there. Their ability to develop great players is evident in the numerous records that Army West Point Golf broke during their tenure. They have years (for Brian, decades…sorry to call you out old man!) of experience in fields extremely relevant to the aspiring collegiate golfer. A quick look at their resumes will assure you that these men are more than qualified to mentor an aspiring collegiate golfer. A quick phone call with one of them will assure you that they are true professionals. However, I believe the greatest thing that their clients will gain is a holistic approach to personal and professional development.
As their player, they treated me like family. They welcomed to their homes and got to know my family. They held me accountable for the mistakes I made as a golfer and as a leader. They understood the delicate balance of training for my future job (I am currently a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps), performing in the classroom, and winning college golf tournaments. I was pushed to deliberately prioritize my time and focus. It did not matter that I had to wake up at 0500 to train or that I was juggling 20 credit hours, they demanded focus and purpose at every practice session. They were supportive and demanding, and I am certain that they will be the same way in their new mission to support and develop aspiring collegiate golfers.
Throughout our four years together we had some great wins and some tough losses. Regardless of the outcome, I never finished a season disappointed. At the end of every season, I found that I had grown as a golfer, as a leader, and as a man. These coaches created a program that was a family, and families turn boys into men. If you are an aspiring collegiate golfer reading this testimonial, I urge you to take this opportunity to not only increase your chances of getting a scholarship but to become a man and golfer worthy of one.
Justin Pagila