When Lumpkin County senior Aaron George moved to Dahlonega with his family prior to high school, he couldn't have imagined how much of a home this scenic Northeast Georgia town could possibly become.
Not only did George, who finished tied for third at the Class AAA state meet earlier this month, carve out an accomplished high school golf career with the Indians, but he also found his home for his college career starting next fall at North Georgia College & State University.
It just so happened that the Chattahoochee Golf Course was also good to George this season. He also won the individual Region 8-AAA championship there to earn a spot at the state meet.
For his efforts, George is The Times' Boys Golfer of the Year.
"Aaron has such unbelievable consistency as a golfer," said Lumpkin County coach Jeff Fleming. "I don't think I've ever seen him play a bad round."
George managed to shave strokes off his game each year of high school, finishing his career averaging 71.1 on 18 holes as a senior, and a sub-par average in both his junior and senior seasons.
Just as importantly, George managed to mature and take on a greater sense of individual responsibility than many kids his own age.
Between semesters his junior year at Lumpkin County, he convinced his parents to let him stay at the school even though his father Alan was changing jobs to take over the position as Chief Executive Officer at a hospital in Palestine, Texas.
As a result, George's parents and two younger siblings packed up and headed west.
However, George was invited to stay in the house of his golf coach. Fleming's son, Cody, is a longtime friend of George's.
"I realized I wanted to finish high school out with my class and play with teammates here at Lumpkin County," George said. "I asked my dad about it first, and he said he'd think about it, but they finally agreed.
"I kind of thought of it as an early start to college."
Fleming never worried about having George in his house. He knew George was mature enough to handle the living arrangement and still be able to balance golf and school.
The only changes George had to get used to were doing his own laundry and making sure to get himself up in time to get to school before the first bell.
"I knew Aaron really wanted to graduate with his class, and I was willing to do anything I could to help," said coach Fleming. "I knew his parents had the final decision in the matter.
"Aaron is a very mature, very disciplined kid."
As a senior, George stayed with his friend Rich Green, who had already graduated from Lumpkin County, but still lives with his family.
Despite his new living arrangements, George's resolve to be the best at golf never changed.
He spent as much time as possible working on improving his game at his home course of Achasta in Dahlonega - even finding room to improve on his precise short game.
Fleming said what separated George from other golfers was his consistency in his shots.
"Aaron has pinpoint accuracy," coach Fleming said. "If it ended up 35-40 feet from his intended target, it was a bad shot for him."
And his coach added that despite his great high school accomplishments, George has yet to reach his full potential as a golfer.
At state, George was on the green with a putt for birdie 14 times, but only converted twice, both on the back nine to secure his 70 for the day.
Fleming also believes George's game off the tee may continue to evolve.
However, there is no matching the way that George plays in the clutch. At the Region 8-AAA meet, he trailed by two shots with four holes left to play.
But with a birdie on No. 18, he took it to a playoff hole and edged out his two competitors for the region title.
"Even though he was two shots out, he managed to pull it together," Fleming said. "I knew once he got to the playoff hole, he was going to win."
George held the No. 1 spot on Lumpkin County's team all four years of high school. He was the Indians' lowest scorer in preseason rounds leading into the 2008 season and kept the position almost exclusively from there out.