Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Athletes use a variety of similar expressions when explain how they got started in their sport of choice.

Many will say they’ve been playing for as long as they can remember or they grew up with a particular ball, bat or glove in their hands.

When Clear Creek Amana senior Brandon McCarty tells his story about falling in love with the game of golf he isn’t using clichés he is simply telling the truth about his childhood.

“My first steps were actually me putting a golf ball and then going to chase after it,” McCarty explained. “That’s how long I’ve been golfing.

Those familiar with the golf legacy of the McCarty family don’t have a hard time picturing that particular story.

The son of former West Branch standout and Iowa golfer Chad McCarty, Brandon literally grew up with a golf club in his hand.

As soon as he could swing a club he joined his father, a 14-time winner of the Iowa City Amateur tournament and his high school coach at Clear Creek Amana, on the course.

When he wasn’t training his father he’d be in West Branch with his grandparents who owned the course there where Chad was a part of four consecutive state title teams as a prep.

“My family, all the way to my grandparents and my great grandparents have played the sport,” Brandon said. “I picked up a club at two and half or three years old and loved the game. I’ve always loved it. It’s just been in my family forever.”
Brandon remembers attempting to mimic his father on the course at a young age, with one small difference.

Despite doing everything else right-handed Brandon McCarty golfs left-handed.

Even with access only to his father’s right-handed clubs he would make the necessary adjustments to swing the way that felt natural.

“When my dad had a tournament I would take his driver and flip it around and hold it like a hockey stick and use his right-handed club as a left-handed club,” McCarty said. “It’s not good for the driver but I just started as a left-hander and it felt normal.”

By the time Brandon was in school full-time he was hitting the golf course on a regular basis.

“I remember going out with my dad when he would practice a lot, we’d go out and play, I’d go over to West Branch and play with my dad’s parents and I had a lot of fun playing with them,” McCarty said. “I really started to love the game when I was about six or seven that’s when I started to play more competitive golf.”

That early love for the game helped McCarty flourish as a prep where he established himself as one of the best to ever play at Clear Creek Amana.

Despite having his career cut short after COVID-19 forced the cancellation of all spring sports this year McCarty leaves Clear Creek Amana a two-time state qualifier and state medalist.

McCarty finished tied for eighth at the Class 3A state meet as a sophomore in 2018 with a 36-hole score of 153 and shot a six-over-par 78 to finish tied for 23rd at the 3A state meet last season that was shortened to one day by rain.

“I would say my favorite memory from high school is probably my sophomore year being the first CCA golfer to qualify since 1988 or whatever it was,” McCarty said. “That was a great season and being able to qualifying then is a pretty good memory.”

McCarty, who was poised for a stellar senior season, believes his best golf is still in front of him.

He will play collegiate at Junior College power Kirkwood next season and has spent the past several months during the pandemic beginning to prep for his college career.

“I’ve been going about every day when the weather allows,” McCarty said. “I try to get out every day it’s the only thing keeping me sane. I go out and have a blast on the course.”

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