Picture this, if you will; you’re at school, in your prime, and looking for a way to fit in. There’s the sporty kids with football and wrestling, there’s the musical kids with their marching band and orchestra, there’s the theater kids already beginning their practice with their newest performance… But where do you fit in? Jayce Pendergrass, 17, decides to fit right in with his favorite activity, golfing.

Indeed, while having gone through marching band for three years, wrestling for about three to four in his youth, and archery for about seven, Pendergrass has found himself right at home with his golfing area of expertise for about ten to twelve years now. Of all of these activities, he claims golf is his favorite activity. Pendergrass was a man of few words claiming that he “enjoyed it more” in regards to his previously listed activities and hobbies, though he claimed that he can improve his golfing status. “I know I can do better,” he said, especially in terms of achieving further distance as well as putting the ball into the cup.

Like all great athletes, Pendergrass had himself some form of inspiration for getting into golfing. That inspiration was none other than his grandparents. He said that his grandparents had enjoyed golfing themselves and wanted to get their grandson into golfing as well so that he may have something to do once he’d gotten older. It worked out in the long run, considering his status during one of his first golfing meets as well as the fun times he has golfing with his brother Kayden every once in a while.

Pendergrass’s fondest memory involving golf was during the aforementioned first golfing meets on JV. There, he managed to score himself second place as well as a reason to keep improving, seeing that this was his first time competing and that he did pretty well.

Of course, with his golfing status in mind, he was polite enough to provide some advice for those aspiring to play golf themselves. Pendergrass was quick to crack a joke, claiming that all you need to do to get better at golf is “Don’t suck,” but quickly changed his demeanor to provide some genuine advice. “Practice a lot and have patience,” he said, knowing that golf is a game of patience, practice, and potentially logic.
On the topic of advice, status, and recommendations, one of the best skills to have is driving the ball (the first hit from the tee) according to Pendergrass, considering he’s able to consistently send the ball flying straight ahead with utmost consistency. His recommended field-of-play is the Elmcrest Country Club up in Cedar Rapids, due to its well-maintained and taken care of course. If you want to get good at golf, he also says you might need the right gear.

In terms of gear, he claims, the way to go is a Titleist golf for you to golf your way to Pendergrass-style victory. Though, he also says that it’s best to work with what you’ve got. “New or old, anything works,”
Since Pendergrass has found his home in the golfing community, he said he’s still currently golfing, potentially hoping to have his name up in varsity this year. “It will be quite difficult, but if I put in the work then I think I might have a chance.”