It’s not everyday an 18-year-old can leave both standout sport and academic careers pleated in the school hallways before turning a new leaf — or, putt, in the case of Jack Sides.
The
He followed in the footsteps of his best friend and began golfing at 12 years old, joining the APA team in 8th grade. Sides, now 18, took the hard-work-and-discipline road to close his last APA year with an impressive streak of being ranked in the top 300 by Junior Golf Scoreboard and finishing 16th at the North & South Junior Tournament in Pinehurst with 70-70 among the nation’s best high school junior golfers last year.
Among other accomplishments and successful performances, Sides tops off this part of his journey with a perfect 5.0 GPA.
“Grades come first,” said Sides. “My parents make me get good grades or I don’t get to play golf.”
He admires the sport challenges its players.
“I love playing it,” he said. “It’s not just something you can just go out and do. You have to keep working at it and be persistent.”
Sides says when he gets to college, he will work on mastering his short game — which he also considers his strength in golf. He feels he’ll have more time on the course because the one he uses to practice now is about 30 minutes away in his hometown of
“I always see the difference between the tour pros and the amateurs is the short game,” Sides said. “I’ll practice more in college since I’ll have more free time, and I’ll be closer to a golf course.”
He said he received several scholarship offers, but chose
Additionally, Sides appreciates first-year Panthers men’s golf coach Greg Flesher knowing the golf swing because of his involvement with a PGA program.
“The coach is really nice,” Sides said. “I know he’s building up his team since this is his first year. I’m going to just go in with an open mind.”
As a Parrott student since kindergarten, Sides is deeply rooted in the school’s culture and camaraderie. Passing freshmen greeted him as he sat in an APA hallway Friday.
“When I was little, I always looked up to the seniors,” he said. “Now that I’m a senior, it’s different and they look up to me. It’s really cool.”
As far as his teammates, Sides has kept contact with older players who advanced to the collegiate level. He was a part of the state championship team last year and has shared many memorable times with the current team.
“I’m going to miss hanging out with all the guys,” Sides said. “We’ve all grown so close together.”
Sides won’t be but a short drive away from home when he starts at
“Enjoy it while they can.”
BREAKOUT BOX:
Meet Me Monday
Name: Jack Sides
Age: 18
Hometown:
Fun Face: One of his hobbies is playing ping-pong