Conley uses golf in his drive for success

WHEELERSBURG — Asher Conley went from drive blocking to driving the fairway.

The Wheelersburg Pirates’ senior made a late switch from playing football to swinging a golf club and the change earned him a scholarship to play for the University of Rio Grande RedStorm.

Conley always played football and felt that’s what he wanted to do until his freshman year when he accidentally found a new love during the summer prior to football season.

“I just picked up a club and I just absolutely fell in love with the game,” said Conley.

Conley finished his career as a two-time All-Southern Ohio Conference honoree as well as being voted to the coaches’ All-Southeast District team twice.

Conley said he began playing and practicing at Scioto Golf Course but has been spending a lot of his time at the Portsmouth Elks Club Golf Course and Bellefonte Country Club in Ashland, Ky.

“I love it out there (at Scioto), but I play a lot at the Elks now and Bellefonte Country Club,” said Conley.

But just going to the golf course and swinging a club or putting on the greens wasn’t all that Conley had to deal with. He admits the mental approach was totally different.

“It was definitely a big change switching sports and switching lifestyles. You’re going from a sport where you’re hitting and going 100 percent every play where you go to a sport where you have to slow everything down and just focus on you,” Conley said.

Making the switch to golf heading into his freshman year proved to be a pivotal decision for Conley.

“It means a lot, Golf has been more than just on-course lessons. It has developed me into the person I am today, so being able to compete at the next level and to get competing means a lot to me,” said Conley.

Fortunately for Conley, he made the switch when the Pirates had a talented group of players who made the transition a lot smoother.

“My favorite memory was getting to play with the class that was ahead of me and getting to learn from that team.They are kind of what pushed me to be better every single day,” Conley said.

There were several schools on the table for Conley that he whittled down to Andrew College in Georgia and Rio Grande.

“After talking to Coach (Lauren) Lee at Rio Grande and visiting the campus and talking to the players I realized that was home. I felt like that was where I was going to be a better player,” he said.

Rio Grande is an NAIA school that plays in the River State Conference. The RedStorm has enjoyed a lot of success in golf including a league title in 2024. Conley said the program’s success was a key factor in his college decision.

“It definitely played a major factor seeing where they were able to compete in the conference every single year and just recently in 2024 they won the conference championship,” said Conley.

“Seeing that and knowing they can produce high-caliber every weekend and go out there and compete for the conference championship meant a lot.”

Conley plans to major in business which he looks to incorporate into his future goals.

“Hopefully, this is just a step closer to a bigger goal and that’s playing Division 1 and making something out of this goal,” said Conley.

“Ultimately, I want to do something with business. But, honestly, that’s Plan B. Right now I just want to focus on golf and make it bigger and make this my full-time living.”