Cushing High School junior golfer Reid Vance is proving that nothing in the game or in life is handed to you. He believes every score on the card, every fairway hit and every opportunity earned comes from hours of quiet work when no one is watching.
“My parents inspire me the most,” Vance said. “They always push me to do my best and work hard at everything I do.” That mindset has become the foundation of his rise on the course, where he has already posted a career-best round of 73 at his home course earlier this year, a day that also included his first hole-in-one. “The swing felt good and everything went my way that day,” he said.
Vance, whose favorite subject is history, carries that thoughtful, detail-oriented approach into his golf game. His favorite club is his putter, the one he trusts when it matters most. “I feel like it’s the club everyone has to be the most precise with,” Vance said. “I feel like I have the most control with it.”
The junior has also transformed his ball-striking over the past few seasons. As a freshman and sophomore, he fought a hook that “was hurting my rounds,” he said. Determined to fix it, Vance began taking lessons at Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club with instructor Shannon Friday, a change he credits for a major leap forward. “He has helped me tremendously and the work is starting to pay off,” Vance said. “I still have my bad days, but I feel like everything is starting to come together.”
Vance loves the grind, but he also loves the game’s community. He points to time with his Cushing teammates, practices, bus rides and overnight hotel stays as some of his favorite memories. Away from tournaments, he enjoys hanging out with family and friends, playing video games and heading back out to the course.
His favorite place to tee it up is Bluejack National in Montgomery, Texas, a layout he praises for fast greens, wide fairways and a fun par-3 course. On television, he gravitates toward world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. “I love his attitude and how he approaches the game of golf,” Vance said. “He’s more of a family man too and I feel like family comes first.”
For Vance, golf is a daily reminder of a larger lesson. “Athletics have taught me that everything in life is earned, not given,” he said. “If you want something, go earn it.”
