As the sun set on the UIL State Golf Tournament Tuesday, high school golfers from Brown County once again collected their medals and boarded the buses home.

The Blanket High School boys team came up short in their bid for a state title, taking home the silver medal instead. Brownwood’s Jaryn Pruitt brought home a bronze medal, and Early’s Jake Angerstein chalked up another top-5 finish.

The success follows the state championship won by the Blanket High School girls team last year, who look to repeat at the state girls tournament next week.

If you Google Brownwood, you will no doubt find a plethora of links to articles about the rich football tradition of the Brownwood Lions. The stadium still bears the name of the coach who led the Lions to seven state titles, and the seven stars over the Lion logo remind Brownwood fans of the Lions’ history of greatness.

There’s a museum dedicated to the post-high school accomplishment of the Brownwood Lions, and each year, fans enter Gordon Wood Stadium with a legitimate belief that this could be the year that an eighth star is added to the logo.

Not to be outdone, the Early Longhorns posted a series of deep playoff runs from 2006-2010, and Bangs has even made an appearance in a state final or two.

May, Zephyr and Blanket all post successful seasons in 6-man football, but all three struggle to match the perennial brilliance of the Richland Springs Coyotes.

As soon as Dave Campbell’s Texas Football hits shelves, the amateur prognosticators will gather at local cafes to make their predictions on the upcoming season.

Meanwhile, across town, golfers from area schools, many of whom play on those same football teams that get all the attention, will be hanging their medals on the walls of their bedrooms, and in their trophy cases.

Amid all the hype over football, how did Brown County become such a golf powerhouse?

It starts with the availability of courses. Currently, Brown County is home to three golf courses, a huge accommodation for a county with a population of 38,000. The Hideout Golf Club is located to the north at Lake Brownwood. The Creekbend Golf Course accommodates those to the east near Blanket, and then there’s the Brownwood Country Club.

The availability of courses, coupled with the drive, determination and innovation of the players and coaches spell success for Brown County.

Last year, when the Blanket Lady Tigers captured their state title, Evan Ren of the Abilene Reporter News noted how the coach had refashioned the golf course in Blanket to resemble the course where the state tournament would be played. While other schools have to acclimate themselves to the state course, the Lady Tigers essentially crafted themselves a home-course advantage.

Meanwhile in Early, Jake Angerstein puts in the reps and practice time to perfect his game. He follows in big footsteps, as a few years ago, Bubba Reno, another Early Longhorn, made a serious run at pro golf after graduation.

With the coaches and courses in place, Brown County will continue to be a golf powerhouse as long as the kids want to play. And given the level of participation, that will be the case for the foreseeable future.