Family, friends and coaches attend as Cass High’s Matt Brock, center, signs a scholarship to attend LaGrange College. Pictured are, from left, seated, Taylor Hall, nephew; Kayla Simpson, sister; Clarence Brock, dad; Matt Brock; Carla Brock, mom; Keisha Hall, sister; Mason Hall, nephew; standing, Rick Casko, Cass athletic director; Darren Faddis, Cartersville Country Club golf pro; Greg Scott, Cass golf coach.
DAVID ROYAL/The Daily Tribune News
The Cass High senior feels he will get a chance to do both at LaGrange College, a program that’s claimed 11 national championships and currently is ranked No. 13 in the nation.
Brock, a four-year starter at Cass who has played at its No. 1 slot the past three years, said he signed to play at LaGrange because it will challenge him and help develop his skills for the pro game.
“College golf will get you ready for playing at the next level,” according to Brock. “While at LaGrange, I will pursue a degree in business management. I’m also going to try to further my golfing game outside of college and go as far as I can with that. My dreams are to go pro.”
The Cass player said when he’s on the links, it’s about playing well consistently.
He competes in Region 7-AAAA with Cass but also takes his game on tour. “I play multiple tours, Southeastern and Junior PGA. In those I’ve had numerous top 10 and top 5 finishes. I haven’t won, but I’ve been close.”
He has competed mostly in Georgia and neighboring states. “Cartersville Country Club is my home course. In tournaments, I’ve played the Brickyard in Macon, East Lake, Terrapin Hills in Fort Payne, Ala.”
He’s also played in Nashville and on a lot of South Georgia courses, too.
Brock said he likes the game’s challenge. “I’ve played competitively since the sixth grade, but I’ve been swinging a club all my life. I like how hard golf is,” he said. “It’s difficult and you aren’t relying on anyone else. It’s only you out there and you control your own fate in a tournament. It’s harder than any sport I’ve played, mentally and physically.”
He said he liked the sport from a young age.
“My dad played a little golf here and there [but] I’ve always had a natural feel for golf. I’ve always just loved watching it. I grew up watching it, and there always was just something about it that got me sparked on it.”
Greg Scott, his golf coach at Cass the past three years, said Brock devotes a lot of time to golf.
“He’s made tremendous improvement in his game,” Scott said. “He’s a tireless worker at golf and does a tremendous amount of work. He has done a lot of work on his own, including playing at other locations and games. He loves golf. He has a passion for it.”
Darren Faddis, golf pro at Cartersville Country Club, said Brock continues to find ways to improve his game.
“He’s a very hard-working kid,” Faddis said. “I wouldn’t have guessed three years ago that he’d develop the skill set to take his golf game to the collegiate level. He’s done it the right way, by just working hard and not skipping any steps. That approach has paid off for him.”
Brock said he chose LaGrange to try to continue his golfing for different reasons.
“Coach Lee Richter talked to me about their program and I went for a visit and fell in love with the college,” he said. “Their facilities are top-notch. It’s a great place. I felt like I was home.
“It’s a small community and a small college, and there’s just a nice feel to the school.”
Richter said Brock is part of an exceptional recruiting class at LaGrange, noting he has just added golfers from around the world to the program, this week adding a youth who ranked as China’s No. 2 golfer at age 15. The school also has added another top player from Indonesia.
The coach is hopeful the recruiting class will make its mark, and he expects good things from Brock.
“Matt’s a good kid who comes from a good family and is a good player,” Richter said. “He’s someone we like having on the team. We look for a good player and a good person, and he fills that role and we look forward to working with him.”