Most toddlers at 18 months of age are simply learning to walk. Ty Bogey, however, isn’t like most toddlers. At this age, he was hitting golf balls around his house and learning the basics of the sport.
“I found my dad’s set of plastic golf clubs that he had when he was little,” Bogey said. “I started to grab them and just hit balls around the house, and I broke a couple things.”
Now 13 years old, he has finished 131st in the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship for his age group, partnered with Adidas, and played among high schoolers.
Getting to this level of success in golf takes an immense amount of dedication and hard work.
“[He’s able to succeed in the sport] because of the work he’s put in,” junior golfer and teammate Trevor Hopkins said. “He’s a really hard worker when it comes to golf. He works with our coach outside of the regular practices as well as in practice.”
Bogey believes that, without his parents and golf coach, Steve Brewer, he wouldn’t have been able to flourish in the sport.
“My dad [is probably the main reason for my success],” Bogey said. “He takes me everywhere. He trains me. Also, my golf coach [helps me a lot]. He’s knocked a lot of sense into me when I was being a bonehead. My mom [also assists me]. She’s been there for emotional stuff, and she helps me with school during the golf season.”
None of Bogey’s successes would have been possible without motivation. In addition to his family, friends, and coach all supporting him, Bogey said wanting to play at Duke University has been a root of inspiration for him.
“I want to play in college at Duke, and that’s really [driven] me to get better every single day,” Bogey said.
Although Bogey is highly focused and motivated, he believes that having fun is a large part of his success.
“Have fun with it,” Bogey said. “Don’t get too grindy with it and just have fun, because that’s a mistake that I see a lot of kids make.”
With success comes respect and recognition. Bogey was able to seize a partnership with Adidas approximately one year ago.
“My dad reached out to [Adidas] saying that he really liked their clothes, and he wondered if we could get some free [merchandise],” Bogey said. “They saw my golf game and realized that I could be something when I get older.”
Although Bogey has a lot of talent, he often struggles with the mental aspect of the game. His mentor, Brewer, believes that repetition is the key to success, which can be tedious to handle sometimes.
“[My coach is] hard on me,” Bogey said. “He wants to get the best out of me. He uses drills. He always sets those up because he believes that the only way you can get better is repetition.”
Bogey is optimistic about his future, having high hopes for the Trinity team in the coming years.
“For the golf team, I think we’re going to win states next year,” he said. “I just have a lot of confidence about [our future].”