It seemed like a perfect fit when the Canadian Junior Golf Association asked Chris Dickenson to be its head coach for the next 12 months.

With a group of talented young players under his tutelage, Dickenson – the Stratford Country Club’s assistant golf professional – has a history of success working with juniors, many of whom appear regularly near the top of CJGA event leaderboards.

But the 25 year old is quick to deflect attention.

“I’m really fortunate enough to deal with kids here who have no egos,” he said. “They don’t have all this extra stuff, and it makes me look very good, but I don’t have to do a lot.

“My job is very, very simple. I get them on their own plan, get them doing their own stuff, make sure they are doing that, and just move forward.”

Dickenson, of course, deserves some credit for developing players like Trent Zorgdrager, who is headed to Oklahoma on a golf scholarship, and Riley Mathieson, who helped Canada win the 2019 North America Cup, and Patrick Holloway, who is hovering near the top 10 in the U19 division of a CJGA tournament this week, and Rylan Hall, who finished fifth in the Chip, Drive and Putt qualifier run by the United States Golf Association.

Dickenson also works with older golfers like Brett Nymeyer, who placed fifth at the Ontario amateurs and is headed to nationals in Halifax.

“He puts in a lot more hours than he lets on,” Mathieson, 17, said. “He’s such a great guy and knows what he’s talking about. I think we’re very fortunate to have someone like Chris in Stratford because he’s one of the best in Ontario for sure and he’s so dedicated and knowledgeable about the game.

“To him it’s not work. He enjoys it and he loves it, and it’s a lot of fun to be around someone like that.”

Dickenson’s duties with the CJGA include scheduling and travelling to tournaments, though his first priority is looking after the players back home.

“He just helps me with everyday life,” Hall, 12, said. “It’s not always just about golf, but he gives us a good understanding of being respectful and talking to people.”

Dickenson learns as much from the young players as they learn from him, but his experience allows him to impart pearls of wisdom that focus as much on what’s between the ears as what’s between the tee blocks.

“Golf is a very, very difficult sport,” he said. “There’s a lot going on in the swing, and there’s other factors that you can’t control – the wind, the bounces, everything that goes on between that. So being your own best friend, being kind to yourself and playing with a little bit of swagger (is important). It’s OK to be confident in yourself and walk around with your head held high and eyes forward and chest out, as long as you’re not cocky you can certainly have some confidence.”

The end goal for Dickenson is joining the PGA Tour and travelling with a stable of players, similar to what he currently does with the juniors.

Another perfect fit.

“It’s a really cool feeling to travel as a team and be out there as a team in such an individual sport.”

cosmith@postmedia.com