QUICK UPDATE — Grady only played in one professional event in 2011, opting instead to focus on his duties as Assistant Professional at Lakeview Golf Club and as an apprentice with the PGA of America. He is also considering pursuing certification in the fitness field to combine his passions of physical fitness and the game of golf.

 

Coach's Comments

I started working with Grady in 2001, and I got to watch him develop during his high school years at Fort Defiance where he was an integral part of a State Championship team in 2002. Then Grady became a standout player at Bridgewater College where he was All-ODAC (Old Dominion Athletic Conference) every year from 2004 through 2007. His four college seasons all rank in the top six for scoring average in Bridgewater history, which gave him the career scoring record as well. Grady was a big part of Bridgewater's emergence as a very competitive Division III school.

 

When Grady graduated in the spring of 2007 he decided that he was not done with competition, that he wanted to play golf for a living, so he signed up for his first professional event in October 2007. I was there when Grady birdied the first hole he played as a pro, and we were having dinner on Halloween night in Daytona when it was confirmed that he made the cut in his first tournament.

 

Grady continued to mature and strengthen his game on the Hooters Winter Series, and eventually qualified in May 2008 for a spot in a regular season Hooters tournament at Lake Chesdin near Richmond, Virginia. He shot 74-73 to miss the cut by two shots, but held his own against a former PGA Tour player and Virginia State Open champ he was paired with. He is now working at Lakeview and preparing for tournaments on the Carolina and Tarheel Tours.

 

This is obviously an exciting time for Grady as he chases his dream. He is the first of my students to attempt playing tour golf, so I am proud and excited for him, and I hope to spend as much time as possible on the road supporting him. I will try to fill as many roles as possible--coach, caddie, cook (but I'll get fired from this job), chauffeur--so that he can stay focused on hitting golf shots.

 

It's a tough challenge to make it as a tour professional, but Grady has a long-term perspective; and there's one thing I know for sure--if it comes down to work ethic, Grady will definitely succeed. Since 2008 Grady has been "full-time" at golf which means starting practice by 7 AM, taking a break to hit the gym in the middle of the day, and continuing his practice until evening--every day. His game has definitely gone to another level since college. He has shown the ability to frequently shoot in the mid-60s on our home course. Now it's time to take his show on the road and harden his game in competition. It will be an awesome journey.

 

 

 

Amateur and College Highlights

• Led Fort Defiance High School to Virginia State Championship in 2002

• Won 6 collegiate tournaments at Bridgewater, came in 2nd  three other times, and had nine other top-10 finishes

• Set the Bridgewater career scoring record from 2003-2007 (75.9)

• Holds records for the 1st, 2nd , 3rd , and 6th best individual seasons at Bridgewater based on scoring average

• Was All-ODAC for four seasons at Bridgewater

• Finished 2nd  twice at the Augusta County Open

• Won the 2006 Lakeview Amateur

• Was nine strokes under par through 37 holes of the 2007 Lakeview Club Championship, and finished 2nd after losing the second playoff hole

 

 

Professional Highlights

• Birdied his first hole, and made his first cut as a professional at the Champions Course at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida in October 2007 playing on the Bridgestone Winter Series

• Qualified for a Hooters Tour event at Lake Chesdin (Chesterfield, Virginia) in May 2008, and shot 74-73, narrowly missing the cut

• Had three top-10 finishes on the 2009 Carolina Series of the Hooters Tour