ston Bray has made a life out of playing golf, even though he was not able to play competitively until high school.
“I started off by playing with my dad,” the Lindsay High School senior said. “There is not a golf league where I live, and we don’t have junior high golf at my school, so my parents didn’t really know that there were associations that I could play through when I was younger.”
Bray has been playing the game since he was 6 years old. He typically practices a few towns over at Brent Bruehl in Purcell rather than Lindsay’s course.
“I will play a round and see what I need to work on and then focus on that on the range or the chipping/putting greens. I have also played in as many Thunderbird and U.S. Kids tournaments as possible,” Bray said. “If I’m really out of whack, I will work with a pro or my dad to try to get straightened back out.
Last year, Bray qualified for and competed at state. He also played several tournament circuits and was the overall summer champion for Thunderbird Junior Golf’s 15-18 division. Bray’s father has continued to support his golf dreams over the past 12 years.
“My dad is who got me started and he still helps me with my swing and course management, but I have a great support system,” Bray said. “My mom tries to help my mental game by always reminding me to let the past go and focus on the next shot or round. I also have had two coaches, Will Coffman and Joe Foster, who have been great to help me these past two years of high school.”
Bray is involved with National Honor Society, FCCLA, Students Out Serving, FFA and Yearbook. He also coaches first and second-grade league basketball in his spare time.
“Those little guys always seem to look up to us older kids, and it was good to be able to be a positive role model for them while teaching them a few things about basketball, too,” Bray said. “I have always heard people say it’s important to ‘grow the game’ in relation to kids playing golf, but I liked the thought of hopefully helping these boys learn to love a sport, too.”
After high school, Bray plans to attend Oklahoma State University to study engineering.
