When Mark Liggett was asked to take over the golf programs at Discovery Canyon in 2013, he wasn’t sure how to achieve success.

“I gladly accepted,” Liggett said. “But I questioned what I was doing and how I was doing it.”

Eventually, the Lewis-Palmer graduate looked to his coaching roots as a basketball coach at the YMCA.

He chose to keep things simple and stress-free, even in a sport that’s as mentally challenging as any.

“I wanted the kids to come out and have fun first,” said Liggett, who mentored the Discovery Canyon boys’ team to the program’s first Pikes Peak Athletic Conference crown last season and later a fourth-place showing at the 4A state tournament, also a school best. “I didn’t want to have practices that were too stringent. The boys enjoy the game, and we’ve seen the results from that mentality.”

Liggett hopes to expect even more in the future. Not only will the Thunder aim to defend their PPAC title, but they’ll do so with an experienced crew that features three returning varsity players.

“The guys have seen what state is like, and that first day, there were really nervous,” Liggett said.

“They really turned it around on the second day. I think they’ll be fun to watch next year, and beyond.”