When Morgan Nute was five years old, she would take her coloring book and markers to the driving range, while she sat quietly and watched her dad hit golf balls.
Two years later, the coloring …
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When Morgan Nute was five years old, she would take her coloring book and markers to the driving range, while she sat quietly and watched her dad hit golf balls.
Two years later, the coloring book was gone.
In its place was a bag of golf clubs.
Her dad, who had been patiently waiting for her to show interest in the game, already had a set of clubs ready for her.
From the moment she took her first swing, she was hooked.
“It’s how I grew up. We would go all the time – he’s pretty much taught me everything,” Nute said.
Now a junior at Wright City High School, Nute has been coined as “that golfer.”
From claiming numerous tournament titles to becoming a district champion and medaling fourth and third at state, she has made a name for herself.
“Over the past few years, I’ve really gotten into golf. I just love the atmosphere and the people who play are great. To me, golf is my outlet,” Nute said.
While most children her age were trying out T-ball or soccer, Nute already had a golf club in her hand and she was often the only one to be found on the course with a ponytail.
“Whenever I was little, I’d never see girls out there. Still, you’re mostly going to see guys playing but there’s a lot of women’s leagues and they’re at courses, so it’s really cool to see,” Nute said.
For Nute, it was not until her freshman year that she realized just how rare her level of talent was.
“Outside of school, everyone’s really good and my freshman year made me realize it’s not as common,” Nute said.
Outside of high school golf, Nute plays tournaments year round through AJGA and Gateway PGA. Of course, she can always be found at a driving range somewhere.
“If I need time to be quiet, I just go to the range, put my AirPods in and I can hit the balls for hours,” she said. “I practice pretty much everyday.”
Over the years, some parts of her game have grown but certain habits have stayed the same.
“I always have my ball marker on my hat if I’m playing 18 holes and I always mark my ball with two sets of three dots. I’ve been doing that since I was really young,” Nute said.
With a strong short game, a personal-best score of 32 on nine holes and a 71 on a full 18, Nute has her sights set on the next level.
“I want to continue shooting better scores and hopefully get recruited for college,” she said.
Her mental game is just as solid as her swing.
“My old coach (Shannon) Wells told me this 10 step rule, and it’s where you can be upset with yourself for 10 steps after your shot but then you move on to the next one,” Nute said. “That’s really helped me.”
The sport has helped shape Nute’s identity – and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Especially since high school, I feel like that’s what everyone knows me as – the golfer. Any type of school project, even when I was a little kid, was always about golf. I always picked golf,” Nute said. “Golf is just something I’ve always enjoyed.”
