They have been the heart and soul of Pierce County’s golf program for years, but Lee Bennett and Matthew Grieco are now going their separate ways. They have helped key a prolific golf run in Blackshear that includes six consecutive championships – two middle school conference titles and four region titles in high school, along with a second-place finish in class AAA this year. But beginning this fall, Bennett will play for ABAC and Grieco at Brewton-Parker, making for a bittersweet changing of the guard in Bearville.
“They are like peanut butter and jelly,” says Stuart Stipe, the head golf coach at PCHS. “Matthew and Lee are the type of kids that make coaching fun.”
Grieco, the son of Paul and Jennifer Grieco and the late Sonja Bennett Grieco, was ranked fourth in his senior class. A Beta Club member, he scored 1580 on the SAT. He has also won his team’s scholar-athlete award every year since eighth grade.
“Matthew is very self-motivated and has a standard probably beyond what I have for him,” says Stipe. “If he has a bad day, he doesn’t need his dad, the coach, or anybody to get on him. Whether it’s in the community, in the classroom, or on the golf course, those are some of the things that make Matthew Grieco who he is and such a fun person to be around.”
Defending the choice of math as his favorite subject, Grieco says, “I like pushing numbers. Mental math comes easy; I can see it in my head. I plan on majoring in finance to be a commercial banker. It’s just good that I get to go to college and play golf – the two things I like.”
Bennett, the son of Greg Bennett and Barbara Ann Bennett, chose ABAC from among his scholarship offers. An honor graduate, he scored over 1200 on the SAT and carried a 90-plus average through high school. He excels in math and plans to study turf management in college, but says he also has an affinity for history.
“I especially like to study the 1920s, the 30s, and the wars,” notes Bennett. “In math, I used to take different routes to solving problems. It’s just like if I miss a fairway; I can still make a par. There’s more than one way to solve that problem.”
Stipe says, “I never have to worry about Lee having a bad hole and not trying anymore. I know whatever score he put on that scorecard, he worked for it. That’s a compliment to him and what golf means to him and to his character. Lee is arguably one of the greatest golfers ever to play at Pierce County, and we have a rich tradition here. He is as good as it gets. And so ABAC wins.”
Both lefties, Bennett and Grieco each took up the game before kindergarten, and each started out swinging right-handed clubs backward.
“When Lee was about five, we had a photographer come the course to take some pictures,” shares Greg Bennett. “The photographer was standing in front of Lee, facing him and he told Lee to hit the ball as hard as he could. I warned the guy about getting hit, but he didn’t seem worried. Then Lee just about took his head off with the next drive.”
Bennett took his first golf lesson from the late David Wall at Blackshear’s Lakeview Golf Club. He later worked with Metter pro Greg Wolfe before transitioning to Rob Ellis, a pro based on Jekyll Island. In those days, Bennett says he featured a lot of body movement and a long swing with plenty of head dip. “Rob quieted all that down,” Bennett says. “My legs don’t move as much now. He slowed my tempo down, and that’s what you see from high school golf to college to pro – less body movement and your legs not moving much.”
“I can tell by his walk when he is in his ‘Lee’ zone,” says Barbara Ann Bennett. “He tunes everything out, looking down fairways, greens, and the approach shot. We’ve never had to make him practice and we let him choose whatever sport he wanted. At one time he played football, basketball, baseball, and golf. Then he decided golf was his game.”
Carding his first hole-in-one at age nine, Bennett then shot a 68 at age 11. He later won the 14 and 15-year-old division while competing in the Georgia State Golf Association. Bennett was accorded All-State recognition in 2014 as PCHS finished fifth in class AAA.
A naturally long hitter, Grieco consistently drives the ball 300 yards and chose not to retain a swing coach during his formative years. Instead, he tries to emulate similarly-gifted ball-strikers like Davis Love III and Fred Couples. According to his dad, he also possesses a natural resilience that has proven valuable on the links.
“The day after Matthew’s mom died, Coach Tommy Doss told him he could miss a conference match,” says Paul Grieco. “But Matthew wouldn’t do it. Through all the years his mother was sick, Matthew kept his grades up. He never made a B his entire 12 years and was always either number one or two in golf. He and Lee went back and forth each year.”
Heavy-hearted, Grieco fired a season-low 38 that day, just two strokes behind Bennett. “Even in middle school, Matthew’s ‘off’ days were still better than most golfers on their best days,” says Doss, the head golf coach at PCMS. Though Matthew and Lee are both formidable golfers, each man’s greatest asset is his personal character. I look forward to seeing them become successful with their careers and families, and perhaps even in golf.”
“Lee and I are like the Bandit and Snowman, like Goose and Maverick,” observes Grieco. He points to last summer’s David A. Wall Tournament at Lakeview to illustrate the point. Grieco started the two-day, 36-hole tourney at 4-under par through the first five holes, thanks in part to an eagle. After shooting 34 on the front side, he closed on the back with a 38 for a final round of par.
“The next day, I was up five strokes up on Lee, and then we were tied through 15,” says Grieco. “And I wound up tying him for the day. I won the tournament and Lee got second, but it got dicey. Lee makes par from everywhere. That’s his game.”
Bennett and Grieco each made the All-Region team this year. Bennett and Jake Harvard led the way for the Bears at the region tourney, with each firing regulation rounds of 69. Meanwhile, Grieco was the team’s low medalist at the state tourney with a 74. Ellis says Grieco and Bennett each have what it takes to continue their success on the college links.
“From the first time I saw Lee swing a golf club three-plus years ago, I knew he would play at the next level,” says Ellis. “His constant desire to improve his golf game has led to many long conversations and has kept me on my toes. It has been a joy to watch the maturation of his game and him as a young man. Physically, Matthew has a wonderful golf swing. As he continues to understand the small nuances of the game, I think he has all the potential in the world. Both schools are not only getting good golfers, they are getting outstanding people.”
Academic Athlete
Lee Bennett and Matthew Grieco
Pierce County High School Golf
Flying the Greens
By John DuPont
