Rookie Golfer Makes Hard Work & Team Spirit Par for the Course

Mason Remington ’27 isn’t just playing for trophies. For the Seattle native—who experienced an epic first-year season as a Blues golfer—the sport is a way of life, featuring commitment, friendship and fun.

Those core values have translated into an unstoppable golf game. In his first year at Whitman College, Remington led the men’s golf team to the Northwest Conference (NWC) title—their first league title since 1986—which qualified the Blues for the NCAA Division III Championships, where they placed 17th in a field of 43 teams.

Remarkably, Remington took titles at all three major NWC tournaments: the Fall Classic, Spring Classic, and the conference championship. He was named NWC Rookie and Player of the Year. His impressive performance also earned him All-Freshman, All-Region and All-America honors from the Golf Coaches Association of America.

The Front Nine

According to Remington, it’s love—for his family, the sport and his teammates—that motivates him, on and off the green.

And it’s a love that got an early start.

“I was 4 years old when I started playing with my dad and my grandfather. It was something that brought us together and still does,” he says. Despite his impressive golf resume, the now sophomore still treasures the chance to tee off among family, which now includes one of his younger sisters too.

For years, golf meant having fun with friends and family and spending time outdoors. But after taking third in a prestigious regional junior golf tournament as a sophomore at Seattle Prep, Remington’s approach began to change. “That was when I realized I had a lot of potential in the sport,” he recalls.

When he started thinking about college, Remington, who plans to major in Economics, focused on schools where he could pursue both his academic and golf goals—and Whitman checked all his boxes. 

As soon as he stepped foot on campus, he felt right at home. Having grown up in Seattle, Remington was ready to trade his urban surroundings for Walla Walla’s mellow atmosphere and stunning scenery. He was also excited to take classes with the excellent professors Whitman is known for. “Plus, it was far enough from home that I wouldn’t be back every weekend to do my laundry, but close enough that I could get home fairly easily,” he says.

It was the golf team’s warm, welcoming culture, however, that sealed the deal. “It felt like a close family,” he says.

Team First

The strong bonds Remington shares with his teammates have turbocharged his motivation. “In high school, I was just going out and playing. Now I’m trying to win for my team.” 

Between beloved coaches Skip Molitor and Bill Howard, who was named the 2024 NWC Men’s Coach of the Year, and more experienced teammates who serve as mentors, there’s no shortage of support.

While Remington feels a natural camaraderie with the entire team, he calls Alex Knox ’25 “the big brother I never had.” Generous with pep talks and constructive feedback, “Alex took me under his wing,” Remington says.

Teammates like Knox make golf fun—and inspire Remington to elevate his game. “We love to joke around, but we’re serious when we need to be,” he says. If the team’s unprecedented success is any indication, the laughter that fills the team van might be just as important as the hours the Blues put in on the links and in the gym.

“As much as golf is an individual sport, playing for a team is the most important thing,” Remington says. “Of all my memories of this amazing season, what sticks out isn’t any individual win but the celebratory atmosphere in the van riding home from winning the conference championships in April.”

The Special Sauce

While many want to believe a magic pill can deliver peak performance, Remington says there are no shortcuts. His philosophy is simple: “The more time you put in, the better you get.”

He’s not worried about pretournament rituals, nor does he have any superstitions or lucky socks. Breakfast is “whatever they have at the hotel and one cup of black coffee.”

While not glamorous, here’s the strategy that is clearly working for him: Getting sleep (eight hours a night, especially before a tournament), showing up consistently and addressing weaknesses in his game. That means repetitive drills to work on his putting skills and often practicing on his own.

And Remington has no intention of coasting on his first-year glory. “It doesn’t mean anything if it’s just a one-year thing. It’s just a kick in the butt to keep working,” says Remington, who has big goals for the 2024–2025 golf season, including helping Whitman win all three conference events and a national championship.

The plan is simple: Keep showing up consistently, having fun and nailing the basics. “It worked last year. We’ll see if it works again this year,” he says. Something tells us it just might.

Golf Is Life

There are valuable lessons to be gleaned from the green, says Mason Remington ’27. “The mindset and habits I’ve learned from golf apply to every area of my life.”

Here are three that keep him on course:

1. Emotional regulation is key. Remington’s summer job at a golf course often finds him in customer service. Staying calm while facing frustrated customers in stressful situations doesn’t faze him. “Golf has taught me how to manage my emotions to stay focused and get the job done.” 
2. Practice makes better, if not perfect. While the Blues officially practice together 12 hours a week during the season, Remington and many of his teammates put in bonus rounds. He’s typically golfing at least 40 hours a week. “To improve, you have to put in the time.”
3. A little fun goes a long way. Patience, practice and persistence are key components of success—but you need laughs too. According to Remington, the time he and his teammates spend in the van or enjoying a post-practice meal together at Taqueria Mi Pueblito (“Taq!”) keep the sport fun—and that makes the hard work feel like less of a grind.