Dominic McCain enjoys a challenge. 

That’s why he fell in love with the game of golf. The sport is demanding, both physically and mentally.  

After his senior season at Mid-Prairie, the next challenge for McCain will come at Mount Mercy University, where he will join the golf program in the fall. 

“It’s the learning aspect,” McCain said about his love for the game. “It’s fun to get better. I love figuring out how to hit new shots and seeing If I could shoot the best score I possibly can. 

“Golf is not the easiest sport, it takes a lot of concentration. You need a good mental level, like if you get mad on one hole, you’ve got to shake that off just because you want to be as successful as possible in that round. And I like that mental aspect of it too, just because it kind of separates you from the rest of the field.”

Golf is a hard sport. There are a lot of skills to master and a lot of areas where things can go wrong. For McCain, that’s part of the fun.  

“There are multiple parts of the game where you can get better,” he said. “You can get better with your driver, your irons, your putting and your short game. And I liked that about golf, because there are multiple aspects of the sport that you have to pay attention to. And that’s what brings you back every day.”

Ben Jones was the interim head coach at Mount Mercy when he reached out to McCain about joining the golf program. 

The interim tag was removed from Jones’ title on Friday, March 26 when he was officially named head coach of the Mustang men’s golf team. 

McCain spoke to him over the phone about joining the program. 

“He seemed like a pretty nice guy and he knew his stuff,” McCain said. “So, I went on the visit and looked at their indoor setup.”

He was impressed with the facilities, and he was already familiar with the Mustangs’ home course of Hunters Ridge in Marion, where he played once on the Iowa PGA Junior tour. 

McCain said that everything clicked on that visit and he knew that both the golf program and the school were right for him. 

“It’s nice because Mount Mercy is a smaller campus. So, it’s kind of similar to like what we have in high school – about 15-20 people in one classroom, which is nice.”

McCain will study business management, with the possibility of making golf a career someday.

“I’m a big fan of golf, I mean I golf every day. If I could work in the golf industry, I’d be more than happy to do that. I’ve always figured – try to get a job that you like, and if I could keep it in that golf field. I feel like I’d have a blast with it.”