By Anthony Manifold
The number of yards on any given hole is just a number to Garrett Boe, the Cal State Fullerton golfer who is using his final year of eligibility to prep for Q-school next fall. The former Big West Golfer of the Month does not wonder what it would like to become a professional golfer, because he is certainly on his way.
Garrett comes from the humble town of Clovis, California where he once preferred racing dirtbikes and quarter-midgets over striking golf balls. Clovis is almost always a reference to Fresno, an agricultural based community with plenty of farm land. Being a profitable place for farmers, Garrett learned to golf in that type of environment.
In our interview, Garrett divulged that in Clovis, all golf courses are flat. He compared the greens and fairways to dart boards, meaning that the golf ball will stick its landing on impact and barely roll. Even when he had to adjust to elevation on the course in Southern California, he felt very comfortable with his ball striking skills. Until one tournament in his freshman year, he lost confidence in his swing and was forced to commit to a swing change.
A swing change in golf is not easy. It is compared to switching your dominant hand of writing to the other… painfully uncomfortable. Although humble, Garrett admitted the daunting task. In the OC Register, he claimed he would hit “upwards of 700 balls a day, then chip and putt” before stepping on the course. A real challenge to improving and rebuilding anything is the power of repertition. How many times can you repeat something until it improves? Luckily enough, Garrett found that answer.
When asked what Garrett’s most proud accomplishment was so far in his golf career, it was not Big West Golfer of the Month, it was breaking the school record. He explained to me that many other Fullerton golfers had won that monthly award, however, he is the only name at the top of the record books. Mr. Boe shot a 63 (-9) in a three round tournament at the Grand Canyon invitational. That was the first round. He continued that excellence throughout the tournament to secure a Fullerton first place finish.
The biggest takeaway from Garrett Boe is his mindset. It does not deter from his ultimate goal of playing on the PGA Tour. He knows he has the talent, but most important he knows he wants it more than anything.
