Carson Pruitt keeps pushing
Carson Pruitt keeps pushing
Carson Pruitt has only been playing golf for a few years, but has a skillset built for the future.
Carson Pruitt can thank the ocean for his introduction to the game of golf. When Pruitt was 11, his family was on a trip to Hawaii when he came down with a case of swimmer’s ear. Unable to enjoy the beautiful blue waters of the Islands, Pruitt asked his dad if they could play golf together to pass the time.
Even though Carson had never swung a club before, his Dad figured that a scenic course in Hawaii would be a scenic place to start for his 11-year-old son. While the rest of the family frolicked on the beach, Carson and his Dad went to the course for his very first round.
That was all it took.
Upon returning to the continental United States, Carson kept wanting to play more and more golf. He leapt at every opportunity to hit golf balls on a driving range or go out to the course for a quick nine holes after school. It helped that Carson was an avid baseball player, so he was used to the motion required to use a golf club and had a golf swing that most beginners spend years trying to achieve.
Carson was so enamored by golf and progressed so well that he decided to quit playing baseball to focus on developing his golf game. He’d spent a lot of time building a baseball career but just felt something different with golf that gave him the confidence to make the switch.
He’s progressed to competitive golf in the past couple of years, playing in a few AJGA qualifiers, high school tournaments, Hurricane Junior Golf Tour events, and local PGA section junior events. The competition has allowed Carson to sharpen his game in a way that playing with his friends cannot necessarily accomplish.
“When you’re playing with friends, you’re just playing, you don’t think about anything,” said Pruitt. “But when you’re in tournament play, you think about everything…it’s a massive difference.”
He’s had to think his way through many tournaments and learn to roll with the punches that golf can provide. Regulating the myriad emotions one faces on the golf course has been a focal point of the development Carson has experienced as he’s progressed in the game. He’s now okay with a bad round, because he knows that they are a requirement for growth. Even though Carson’s playing good golf, he’s figured out that sometimes the putts won’t fall and the shots won’t be shaped the right way. When that happens, it can be used as a learning experience.
Carson credits this newfound way of thinking, as well as improved course management skills, to Chuck Scoggins, his golf coach. Scoggins is a top junior golf instructor in the state of Georgia and is a major leader within the North Georgia Golf Academy. Scoggins has pushed Carson as he matures, providing him a greater understanding of the connection between emotional regulation and good scores.
This increased understanding of every facet of his golf game has allowed Carson to lower his scores and pick up some interest from college golf coaches. The schools looking at Carson know that he’s got the potential, the drive, and the swing to continue elevating his game for years to come. Carson is planning to take the SAT this month and then make a college decision sometime before the end of the year.
Even though he does not know what exactly his future will look like, Carson will hold onto his Christian faith as a guiding light. Scottie Scheffler is his favorite golfer not because of his game, but because of how he models his Christian beliefs and represents God in everything that he does. Carson has taken that to heart, and seeks to demonstrate his Christian faith throughout the highs and lows that golf provides.
Carson is a good kid who absolutely loves the game of golf. He’s representative of the backbone of the game, someone who is doing everything he can to get better while enjoying each and every moment he spends on the golf course. There’s something pretty darn cool about that.
You can find my work for the Global Golf Post here: Jake Patterson Global Golf Post Columns
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