By Michael Foster mfoster@forsythnews.com West Forsyth senior Robert Shaw is a natural leader. Part of it he can’t help. Part of it is a faculty of his development. As a senior and by far the tallest man on West’s golf team, Shaw had no choice but to lead his teammates through what eventually became the best season in Wolverines golf history. He also has earned his status as an Eagle Scout, which has provided the maturity and composure necessary to be a top-seeded golfer. Shaw was always consistent but never flustered in his senior season on the links. His scoring range in tournament play was just four strokes between his lowest and highest scores, and he led the team with a 73 in the state tournament to help the Wolverines place fourth in Class AAAAAA.“It’s uncanny how consistent I played this year,” Shaw said. “My range of scores was four shots through 10 tournaments, so it was really nice to play consistent golf throughout the entire year because I’ve had up and down years in the past.” Shaw attributed part of his consistency to his calm personality, which he claimed resonated with the team. West’s boys simply went onto the course and left the course as the most relaxed group in the field.“There wasn’t a lot of pressure to perform on us,” Shaw said. “We’d never been where we were this year. The guys, I’d just go out and shoot a number and they’d post numbers right behind me. We would all go out and play our game and added up our numbers in the end, and it turned out to be a very good year. It was a lot of fun leading this team.” Question: What does it mean to receive the Player of the Year award in Forsyth County? Shaw: “It’s a validation of all of the hard work that’s been put in throughout my career. It’s an honor to receive this in the county that we are in with all of the talent we have. It’s very tough to receive this award so it’s a great honor.” Q: How did you get into golf? Shaw: “My grandmother would take me out to the range when I was 2 or 3 and let me hit balls. I got into baseball, actually, in my younger days and played until I was 11 or 12, and then got tired of that and told my Dad I wanted to play golf. The rest was history.” Q: What are your plans now that you’ve graduated? Shaw: “I’m going to Georgia Tech to major in business, most likely finance. I’m also going to try to walk on the Georgia Tech golf team. Georgia Tech was a dream school for me.” Q: What do you do outside of golf? Shaw: “I’m an Eagle Scout, but I’m also in band. I’m a good student. I hang out with my friends a lot. That’s pretty much it.” Q: What is your favorite club in the bag? Shaw: “58 degree wedge. I love my wedge. Drivers are fun and all, but with the wedge you can hit so many different shots.” Q: What is your favorite type of golf course? Shaw: “I really have a special place in my heart for the older courses. Smaller courses where you have to be more precise and think a lot more. I like playing those because they really challenge you mentally.”