The RoundHouse | 8/25/2022 3:14:00 PM

 
 
The dads golfed as Shockers in the 1980s. Their daughters joined them almost 40 years later, following a detour.
 
This fall marks the start of their final seasons as college golfers and college golf parents – all are Wichita State alums. Gary and Kris Lucas, daughter Megan. Dave and Denise Henson, daughter Kenni.
 
"It feels like a part of home," said Megan Lucas, a senior on the Wichita State golf team. "Both of our dad's names are up on our awards wall in the indoor facility. It feels right."
 
Dave Henson earned All-MVC honors in 1984 and 1985. Gary Lucas put his name on the wall with an All-Missouri Valley Conference season in 1986.
 
"It's cool to see the family going through it two times," Kenni Henson, also a senior, said. "It's cool being able to go in there and see his name up there."
 
While Dave Henson and Gary Lucas missed each other by a year at Wichita State, their bond as Shockers and golf parents built a friendship.
 
"We joke that they just come to the tournaments to hang out with each other," Megan Lucas said. "I'm pretty sure they think they're back in college, having fun, traveling to the tournaments."

 
Lucas and Henson are the ideal golf dads in the view of Shocker coach Tom McCurdy. McCurdy wants parents involved – they are heavily invested in their daughters, after all – so he welcomes them at tournaments, on road trips and at dinners.
 
"It's a big family atmosphere," McCurdy said. "Having those two around – they get it. They know what college athletics is. I think they really appreciate how we incorporate them, and I think they love it. The atmosphere, team chemistry, the relationship we have with parents – awesome."
 
McCurdy also appreciates the leadership the daughters provide for his team. Raised by golfers, both understand the etiquette and teamwork so important in the sport.
 
"There's a culture in golf of integrity and respect, and they bring it," McCurdy said. "I'm so thankful they're here as seniors when we have three freshmen on the roster because they're the ideal people in leadership."
 
The golfers made it a goal to do more events with the Shocker men's team to connect the teams and have fun. The groups play pickleball or host game nights. Megan Lucas often cooks tacos or a breaded chicken dish with pasta that Kenni Henson loves. Game nights often feature a game of "Heads up" or "Nerts." When they play "Mario Kart" they make brackets for a tournament.
 
"I feel like we are our dads," Megan Lucas said. "This is the kind of stuff they would be doing. They're so social, so competitive, and want to have fun. Our game nights are not just chill game nights. We get into it."
 
The daughters are in their fifth year golfing and living together. Both considered attending Wichita State out of high school, but McCurdy lacked scholarship money. They chose UMKC and golfed for two seasons. In July 2019, UMKC announced that it would drop the program after the 2020 spring.
 

 The timing worked for a Shocker reunion. Henson, from Derby, immediately chose Wichita State. Lucas, from Topeka, took a few months to consider options before joining her. Both golfed for UMKC during 2019 and into the COVID-interrupted 2020 season knowing they would continue at Wichita State.
 
"It's funny how things work out," Gary Lucas said. "It's been a lot of fun watching her wear the Shocker gear."
 
The dads don't want to coach and sometimes don't want to be seen.
 
Watching isn't always easy. Gary Lucas' nickname around the team is "Sasquatch," because he's known to take a walk away from the course when the golf gets tough.
 
"I'll go hide behind trees," he said. "As a dad it's a lot more nerve-wracking watching her play. I just try to be there for her."
 
However, they are the dads, and they know their daughters' game and body language better than anyone. Dave Henson, director of golf at Flint Hills National Golf Club, describes his daughter as a "feel" player. When she struggled hitting a big hook, he got her on the practice range and guided her back by telling her to hit slices on purpose.
 
"He can see what I'm doing wrong, when I can't see it," Kenni Henson said. "He's been the one that's seen me the most."
 
Neither father pushed their child to Wichita State and they take a similar low-key approach to the game. They are available for advice, but they let coaches take most of the responsibility.
 
"My whole golfing experience, my dad has been 'You do you,'" Kenni Henson said. "They're going to be there the whole time for us, at all the tournaments they can, cheering us on. It's a great support system."
 
The families are making plans for one last trip through college golf, although Gary Lucas and Dave Henson are already planning family golf trips for the future.
 
Megan Lucas graduated with a degree in accounting and will finish her master's degree in accounting in May. In July, she was one of 248 NCAA Division I student-athletes nominated for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year.
 
Kenni Henson plans to go into teaching with a degree in elementary education.
 
The season starts in Springfield, Mo., on Sept. 12 at the Payne Stewart Memorial. The Henson and Lucas families will drive east through Kansas and into Missouri to Twin Oaks Country Club.
 
Jobs are not far away, but first there is one more year of walking the course, flashing hand gestures to celebrate birdies, dinners and college golf.
 
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.