You're Not Always Going to Get 1% Better
Golf is one of the most demanding sports in the world, a game where players call penalties on themselves and where confidence can be just as important as the physical swing.
For Miami University's Michael Stagnaro '25, that journey began at Reeves Golf Course with his dad and grandfather. What started as a childhood passion shared with family eventually became a lesson in patience, confidence, and learning to trust the work even when the results aren't immediate.
"I fell in love with the game just going down to Reeves with my dad and my grandpa and learning from them," Stagnaro said. "I could really only put at first, but seeing how much the game brought them together, and all three of us together, made me love it. From there, I started playing competitively when I was about 10 years old."
Those afternoons at Reeves eventually turned into competition. By the time Stagnaro reached St. Mary's School in Hyde Park, golf had become more than something he shared with his family. He began competing in local Greater Cincinnati Golf Association events, laying the foundation for what would come next at St. Xavier.
Family connections made his high school decision an easy one. Stagnaro entered St. Xavier as a legacy, following in the footsteps of his dad, grandfather, uncles, and cousins.
"St. X was where my dad had gone, my grandpa had gone, all of my dad's brothers had gone, and a bunch of my cousins went there," Stagnaro said. "For me, it was kind of a no-brainer. You hear all the stories about the academics and athletics, but now that I've graduated, I think the biggest thing is the relationships you build with teachers and the people around you. That's probably the most important part."
Before Stagnaro could become a record-setting golfer and team captain, however, he first had to become comfortable enough to believe he belonged.
As an eighth grader, Stagnaro was given an opportunity to try out for the varsity golf team. Surrounded by older players, he remembers being nervous and unsure of himself until his coaches and teammates made him feel like part of the program.
"I was just this little eighth-grade kid coming in, and Coach Kepley gave me the opportunity to try out for varsity," Stagnaro said. "I was nervous, and he took me under his wing right away. I remember playing with Luke Calvert and Andrew Olmstead on my first day of tryouts, and they made me feel right at home. They taught me what it meant to be on the St. X golf team. They were there from the beginning all the way through the end."
The lessons weren't limited to the golf course. St. Xavier also taught Stagnaro how to manage the demands of being a student-athlete, a skill that became even more important when he reached college.
"You have to learn how to manage your time," Stagnaro said. "There were plenty of times when I would have loved to go practice golf for a couple of hours, but that wasn't always the reality. That's become even more important at Miami because we miss so much school for tournaments. You have to email professors, get ahead on your schoolwork, and make sure you're communicating with them."
That balance translated into success on the course.
Stagnaro earned three All-GCL selections, was a 2024 Southwest Ohio All-Sectional selection and Player of the Year runner-up, and set the St. Xavier record for lowest single-season scoring average at 73.2.
But his development wasn't measured only by his scorecard.
By his senior year, Stagnaro had become a team captain, giving him the opportunity to provide younger golfers with the same support he had received when he first entered the program.
"As a freshman, I remembered how good the captains and upperclassmen were to me," Stagnaro said. "By the time you're a senior, you want to pay that back. Being a captain, you always want to help however you can. At that point, it becomes about more than golf. It's about teaching the younger guys how to become better young men and helping lead them on and off the course."
By the time Stagnaro left St. Xavier, he had learned how to compete, lead, and balance the demands of being a student-athlete. Miami University offered him the opportunity to do all of it again, only this time at the Division I level.
Like St. Xavier, Miami also had family ties, but it was the people surrounding the golf program who ultimately convinced him it was the right fit.
"Miami was similar to X," Stagnaro said. "I've had a lot of family members attend Miami, but I also saw a really driven and hardworking coach in JD Fletcher. He's been nothing but great to me and our team. Then there was the group of guys. When you visit and meet everyone, you realize you're surrounded by great people. Those are the people you're going to spend almost all of your time with."
The transition to college golf, however, wasn't as smooth as Stagnaro had hoped.
The golfer who had played with so much confidence during his senior season at St. Xavier suddenly found himself rebuilding his swing while adjusting to college life.
"At the start of my freshman year, I was going through a swing change and switching coaches," Stagnaro said. "Then you add everything else that comes with freshman year, moving in, living in a dorm, and being on your own for the first time. Mentally, it was a lot. I felt distracted from golf because I was thinking about so many other things, and I couldn't just go out and play my best."
The struggles forced Stagnaro to mature and become more patient with himself.
"Between getting adjusted, maturing a little bit, becoming more confident in myself, and putting in some really good work, I finally started seeing better scores toward the end of the fall season," he said.
More importantly, Stagnaro began learning a lesson that had little to do with his swing and everything to do with the mental side of golf.
Improvement isn't always visible.
"People always talk about getting one percent better every day," Stagnaro said. "For the first time in my life, I had someone tell me, 'That's not always going to happen in golf.' There are going to be days when you don't feel like you got better, and you have to be OK with that. You don't have to get 10 times better in one hour. If it isn't clicking right now, you have to trust that you're close and that the work you're putting in is eventually going to pay off."
That patience doesn't mean the work has slowed down.
Stagnaro's days often begin with a 5:30 a.m. lift, followed by classes from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. From there, he heads to the golf course for practice until roughly 6 p.m. before finishing his day with dinner and schoolwork.
The schedule has changed him physically, but the biggest transformation has taken place mentally.
College golf has forced Stagnaro to become more comfortable with uncertainty, bad shots, and the reality that preparation doesn't always immediately translate to a lower score.
"I think I've gotten a lot better mentally since I've been in college," Stagnaro said. "A lot of it is just belief. You have to know that you've put in the work and the time, trust that you're going to hit good shots, and allow yourself to hit them without getting in your own way. That's probably the biggest thing."
It's a belief that Stagnaro first began to understand during his senior season at St. Xavier. Playing some of the best golf of his career, he realized he didn't need to hit every shot perfectly. He simply needed to trust that he was capable of hitting the shot in front of him.
"It's believing that wherever you are, you've put in the time to pull that shot off," Stagnaro said. "During my senior year, I was going around the course leaving myself in the right spots, but I also believed I was the best player out there. As arrogant as that may sound, that's kind of what you need in golf. You have to believe you're the person who's meant to hit that shot."
That mentality was tested during his freshman season at Miami.
At the Bridgeport Invitational, Stagnaro opened with back-to-back rounds of 69 and entered the final round near the top of the leaderboard. For the first time in his college career, he went to bed knowing he had an opportunity to win a tournament.
The pressure provided another lesson.
"I would have loved to finish with the win, but sometimes that just doesn't happen in golf," Stagnaro said. "I was sleeping on the lead, and that's tough. It's tough to wake up the next morning and play really good golf because there are nerves involved. But I learned a lot."
Stagnaro ultimately finished third, but the experience gave him something he believes will be just as valuable moving forward.
"It's hard to understand those situations until you're actually in them," he said. "Anytime you're playing a final round where the score really matters, you learn a lot about your tendencies and your game. Eventually, you just become more comfortable."
Stagnaro didn't leave Bridgeport with a championship, but he left with experience and a better understanding of how to handle pressure.
Now, with three years of college golf still ahead of him, Stagnaro hopes to help Miami continue competing for MAC championships while developing toward his ultimate goal of playing professional golf.
But he isn't measuring the journey entirely by trophies, scoring averages, or tournament finishes.
His advice to future Bombers hoping to play college golf is much simpler.
"Control what you can control," Stagnaro said. "There are so many uncertainties in this game, but you can control your work ethic, how often you're practicing, and how often you're reaching out to coaches. All of that is in your control. And you have to have fun with it because this game can be devastating sometimes. You've got to make sure you're still enjoying it."
The game has changed since Stagnaro first picked up a putter at Reeves Golf Course. The courses are tougher, the competition is stronger, and the stakes are higher.
But the reason he fell in love with golf hasn't changed.
"Just have fun with it," Stagnaro said. "Make sure it's fun first and then see what the results are."
For Stagnaro, there will be more tournaments, more pressure, and plenty of good and bad shots ahead. But the lessons learned from his dad and grandfather at Reeves, his teammates and coaches at St. Xavier, and now his experiences at Miami have taught him that progress isn't always reflected on the scorecard.
Sometimes, getting better means trusting the work, believing in yourself, and remembering why you
