Those who know him best agree that the sky is the limit for Jake Minchew, a young man as renowned for his own self-criticism as he is for his God-given golfing talents. The 2014 Ware County High graduate and rising Brewton-Parker College freshman recently capped his prep career at the state golf tournament in serving as his school’s lone representative. It has been a rewarding ride for Minchew, who first started traversing the links with his dad as a three year old.
“What I have done, I’m very blessed to have done, and it wouldn’t be possible without God,” Minchew says. “And I’m grateful to my dad. He got me started and has really instilled in me a love for the game. The dollars and hours he’s put into me are amazing.”
Minchew began competing at age five, when the prodigy won a chipping contest against 14-year-old Brian Harman, now a PGA touring pro. Minchew won seven recreation tournaments in 2004 and three more the following summer. He also won the Junior Club Challenge Match at Okefenokee Country Club in 2005 as well as the Chad Tanner Junior Invitational, carding his first-ever eagle. In the years since, Minchew has established himself as an area favorite, a distinction gleaned largely through admiration for his legendary work ethic.
“Jake kind of reminds me of Jim Furyk,” says Minchew’s swing coach Rob Ellis. “He is a gritty competitor who by far works harder than anyone. Some kids will take 10 swings and then go out and play, but Jake is not going to leave any stone unturned. He’ll work on something until he figures it out.”
Minchew enjoyed a watershed year in 2006, which coincided with his introduction to the Georgia State Golf Association (GSGA). That year he placed fifth in the U.S. Kids Regional Championship, won the David A. Wall Junior Invitational, and claimed victory for the second time at the Chad Tanner Invitational. Numbers aside, it’s still his tenacity that distinguishes Minchew from the also-rans.
“The very first tournament he ever won, Jake started with a quad-quad (four over par on each hole),” recalls Minchew’s father Mike. Another kid, who was a little bit older, shot par on both holes, and Jake welled up a little. I told him, ‘You can buck up, or we can go to the house.’ Jake wound up beating the other kid by a shot, and that kid was the one that went home crying that day.”
By 2007, Minchew had already become a three-time champ at the Chad Tanner Invitational. That same year he also claimed the South Hampton Tour Championship. Additionally, the preteen began playing from the men’s tees that year and shot 95 the first time out. His first year in middle school, 2008, saw Minchew win the Southeast Georgia Middle School Athletic Conference Championship. He added another conference title by eighth grade and won a GRPA links championship in 2010. That season he became the youngest golfer ever to play in the Okefenokee Invitational.
“Looking back, I think my biggest highlight has just been the progress I’ve made,” says Minchew. “Coach Ellis and Coach Wheeler (WCHS head coach) worked to get me scoring better. They both have really helped with getting all the quirks out of my swing and out of my game so I can reach my peak.”
Minchew tried football, baseball, and wrestling in the ensuing years. He started for two years on the offensive line and helped Ware Middle School to an undefeated gridiron campaign and a conference championship. As a freshman he wound up as low medalist for WCHS, shooting an average of 81. He claimed victory that year at the GSGA Junior Sectional Challenge Match at the Georgia Club near Athens and made the cut at the Georgia Junior Amateur at Augusta Country Club. Minchew’s sophomore campaign saw him letter in varsity football while lowering his golf average to 79. However, he decided soon after to make golf his primary focus again.
“I played football every year except for 11th-grade year,” explains Minchew. “Junior year is a pretty crucial year for recruiting in golf. In the summer, I was playing well and thought I’d focus on some tournaments.”
With renewed emphasis on golf, Minchew won three of five GSGA sectionals. He made it to the last cut of U.S. Junior Amateur and finished three shots off the lead at the Golden Isles Tour Championship. He also whittled his USGA handicap to 0.8. “Jake had a summer where he had played football and hadn’t played much golf, but he kind of snuck into a GSGA tournament as an alternate,” said Ellis. “We got together to get his game back into shape, and he went up there and won the dang thing.”
Minchew fired a 78 at the GHSA state tournament as a junior. This year, he shaved four strokes off that score in the final round of his prep career. He now estimates his driving distance to be upwards of 275 yards, but points to chipping and putting as the real strengths of his game.
“Last year, I was trying to win at region, and I was playing pretty solid,” Minchew says. “Then I got to my ninth hole, pushed my tee ball out of bounds and wound up doubling that hole. I shot 40 on that side and 34 on the back nine. I just knew that if I could settle down and stop forcing stuff, it would come to me. Golf is a game that you can be perfect in. Perfection is always something to strive for. Golf is probably the fairest game you can play.”
Possessing a similar zest for academic excellence, Minchew has posted equally impressive numbers in the classroom. An honor graduate, he maintained a 94 average during his high school career and posted a three-part score of 1760 on the SAT. A member of Beta Club and student council, he took AP classes in human geography, environmental science, psychology, statistics, and macro-economics. “I taught Jake as a substitute at Ware High, and he is a fine young man with an outstanding character and high morals,” says Buster Tyre. “It was easy to see that he was a leader. The other students looked up to him and valued his advice.”
Whether Minchew’s post-golf calling leads to science or business is unclear. He says the latter is more likely, though he’s undecided now. His mom, a teacher, sees specific potential. “I think Jake has a real strong aptitude for teaching and working with younger students,” says Lori Minchew. “Jake is very patient, and I think maybe he might be one to give golf lessons. He possesses a certain kind of friendliness and openness.”
When he’s not on the links with golfing pal Lee Bennett, Minchew’s pursuits include First Tee, a YMCA-affiliated organization that helps teach golf to youngsters. Minchew previously assisted instructional camps at Laura S. Walker and Lakeview Golf Club. Off the links, he attends services at Central Baptist Church and Jamestown Baptist Church in Ware County.
“As good a golfer as Jake is, he’s actually a better person,” Wheeler says.” His mom and dad have done a great job of raising him, and he is very respectful. Jake is one of the very few that I’d let babysit my kids and not think twice about it. I think he’s going to blossom in college. He has a great future.”
Player Spotlight /Southeast/June 2014
Jake Minchew
Ware County High School
Waycross, Georgia
Story by John DuPont
Photography by Bo Carter
Hard Work Makes Minchew a Folk Favorite
