Jackson Bryce, a successful golfer and ambitious senior, announced his commitment to East Carolina University to play Division I this past summer. Bryce has played a key role in the Green Hope Men’s golf team’s success since 2022, when he began his Freshman year at the school. The GH Falcon recently sat down with him to speak about his commitment and what has led him up to this point.
Bryce began playing golf at just 8 years old, prompted by his dad bringing him to his own courses and games. After joining his dad on courses, Bryce says, ‘I just fell in love with it.’ That’s where it all began for Jackson.
As Bryce’s competition and interest in the sport grew, so did his commitment. About 4 hours a day, seven days a week – his practices are constant. If Bryce is not practicing on the course, you can find him at the gym, “…that way, I can hit it further, and I play better.” Bryce’s free time and daily routine are devoted to his golf career – needless to say, it’s paid off.
During practices, Bryce says he focuses on three main elements: his short game, putting, and driving. Bryce says he “always tries to split those into thirds, so I do about an hour on each.” Splitting up his focus every practice ensures he’s focused on becoming a well-rounded player. Bryce’s discipline and relentless practice are something that he feels have kept him on a straight path towards his goals.
Bryce also reflected on his recruitment process, which began in his sophomore summer going into Junior year. “The NCAA allows you to start talking to coaches on June 15th of your sophomore year summer.” The first school that came to mind for Jackson around this time was ECU, one he had always been interested in. ECU’s golf program is remarkable and an exceptional choice to further a golf career. But it wasn’t just about the quality of the sports, Bryce says, “when the time came around it was a pretty easy choice for me … their coaches are great, their practice facilities are beautiful, and it’s just a place that I can see myself going.”
Bryce recalls that there were other schools he had considered, and without explicitly stating them, he says some of the factors that led him to finalize his decision to go play for ECU consisted of the close proximity to home and the academics. “ECU’s a great school in the sports medicine field, which is kind of what I want to go into”. For Bryce, the choice was clear-cut.
Looking back on past seasons, and looking forward to his upcoming final one at Green Hope, Bryce says, “Green Hope’s awesome. Just being with the guys… Green Hope makes the process more fun and takes your mind off everything that can be a bit more stressful… It’s just your boys out there.” Bryce says that because the tournaments and individual competitions are not always at Green Hope or affiliated with the school, he has a great time traveling to courses with his friends and making lasting memories. Some of Bryce’s most prized memories with the team are the bus rides and dinners. “The amount of laughs sometimes… everything… the speakers, whatever happens on the bus stays on the bus, it’s just great memories I’ll have for a lifetime.”
Looking to the future, Bryce hopes to find a job he is passionate about, whether that is after college or pursuing a career in professional golf; he is excited to see where his journey leads him. Regarding going professional in the golf world, Bryce says, “We’ll see if that happens, and if not, I’ll just have fun in my future job.” Whichever way Bryce ends up going in the coming years, we know he’ll do great things.
Here is a last bit of advice from Bryce – “Just enjoy it… Every time someone asks me for advice, I always just say, try to enjoy it, because golf can be frustrating, and if you play badly and you don’t enjoy it, it’s just a double downer.”
Bryce will tee up as a Falcon one final time this coming year before transitioning into becoming an ECU pirate, hopeful for a strong finish to his high school career and an even brighter future ahead.
