At 18-years-old, Carson Harcourt of Kipling, has 14 years of golfing experience under his belt and has competed in a variety of highly skilled events including the Canadian Jr. Boys National Championship recently hosted in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
“[I] started playing golf at the age of four, my parents always had me out on the course in my car seat and as soon as I could swing the club, I started playing,” Harcourt recalls. “I first became interested because it was an activity that I could spend time with my parents doing and I continued to be interested because I constantly improved.”
Harcourt continued to excel and at the age of 10 he took in his first tournament in Melville: “[I] became hooked when I entered my first junior tournament in Melville; I made some new friends and won a prize, and I thought that was the best thing ever and since then I have enjoyed competitive golf.”
Harcourt, whose home course is Golf Kenosee, has competed at challenging courses and enjoys the opportunities that golf has provided him.
“This year I’ve competed on the Maple Leaf Junior Tour in two events: one in Swift Current and one in Estevan,” Harcourt spoke of his busy schedule this summer. “I finished tied for 10th in Swift and won the Estevan tournament in a playoff hole. I competed in the RBC Open in Nipawin, a tournament with both pros and amateur golfers; I finished tied for 11th in that. I also competed in the Saskatchewan Amateur where I finished T20 and the Saskatchewan Junior where I was T2.”
“I competed in two national events: one was the Canadian National Future Links in Neepawa, MB, and the other was the Canadian Junior Boys National Championship in St. John’s, Newfoundland.”
Harcourt earned his way onto the Canadian Junior Boys National Championship, Team Saskatchewan, earning one of the top three scores through three rounds of play at a provincial tournament.
“I never felt any pressure while playing, my dad always says ‘it’s just a game, so go have fun.’ So, whenever I get into a situation where I feel pressure or frustration I can just think back to that and I realize that what happens on the golf course doesn’t really matter at the end of the day and life goes on. There’s no point in being mad or disappointed, I’m just happy I’m out on the course. Some people don’t have the opportunities that I do.”
Preparing for the tournaments came with dedication to the sport: “I prepared for the tournament by practicing and playing at Golf Kenosee and the Kingswood Golf Course in Kipling basically every day.”
“I’d like to thank all of the men at Golf Kenosee and Kingswood Golf Course for allowing me to play golf with them and always making me feel welcome around them,” Harcourt added. “Some clubs aren’t nearly as nice to juniors as they are and I wouldn’t be where I am today without their support.”
