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Gainesville golfer Spencer Ralston may only be a freshman, but he has proven that he can hold his own on a team that has depth and experience.
As the only freshman on the team, Ralston constantly has competed with more experienced members on the team for a top-five spot to play with the team in tournaments.
After missing the cut for the Apple Mountain Invitational on March 9 in Clarkesville, Ralston was motivated to improve his game to make the top-five for the Hall County Championships.
“I saw kind of a different look in his eye to try to get back in the top-five or top-six for Hall County,” said coach Bryson Worley. “A lot of freshmen don’t have that kind of self-awareness to get that done.”
Ralston not only bounced back and made the cut but won the boys’ championship after finishing the 18 holes with a 72.
For his efforts, Ralston is The Times Boys Athlete of the Week.
“This is only the second time I’ve had a freshman win it,” Worley said. “We’re pretty deep, so we didn’t even know he was going to win because we had four or five guys in the mix.”
But he wasn’t surprised at Ralston’s performance, having known him since he was in the third grade.
“I knew he was a good player,” Worley said. “He’s played a lot of tournament golf, but he’s a humble kid. He gets along with the older kids really well. That’s kind of an anomaly for someone who has been as highly touted as he was growing up.”
Although Ralston is clearly talented, Worley said that his young golfer has a team-oriented mentality and is always looking for ways to help the Red Elephants win. When he won the boys championship for Hall County, Worley noted that Ralston was surprised but that he also called it a “bittersweet moment” because some of his teammates didn’t do as well, a mentality Worley appreciates in his golfers.
“I’ve been really happy with his bounce back and his maturity as far as golf goes,” Worley said. “His mental game has really improved.”
As his he becomes better at the game mentally, he also improves his skills and is constantly asking what he can do better.
“He’s a sponge for information,” Worley said. “The thing that surprised me is that if he doesn’t know something, he will always ask.”
What he does know, however, he does extremely well, and his physical skills are able to combine with his determined mind set to make him successful.
“He’s definitely a good ball striker,” Worley said. “And just his confidence on the course is great. He doesn’t panic under adversity. That’s more important than anything else he does.”
It’s clear that Ralston is emerging as a young leader on a team full of talented golfers, but Worley emphasized the need to stay focused on his goals.
“He has to not get satisfied and remember that there’s always somebody better,” Worley said.
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