With an early start to golf, David Hearn’s journey has spanned many highlights, ranging from acclaim as a junior, to being part of the PGA Tour for over a decade, representing Canada at the Olympics, and his philanthropic endeavors.
Hearn, who grew up in Brantford after moving from Brampton at a very early age, was introduced to the game by his father at the age of three.
“I went to grade school and high school [here]…it’s always felt like home to me. Our family had a small summer place, kind of out in the country, that we would spend time near Mount Forest. I would spend my summers up there, and that’s where I first started to kick off balls [and I] fell in love with the game,” recalled Hearn.
“My dad was a golfer…he was decent and sort of a weekend player at best. He played a lot of golf when he was a young kid, too, and got me started in the game. Today, a lot of equipment is accessible, but back then, the only way to kind of get a club the right length was to take an adult club and cut it down, which my dad did.”
By the age of ten, Hearn won a tournament in Brantford, which brought him several great memories.
“My dad had signed me up for a junior tournament in Brantford. It was at Arrowdale Golf Course, and it was called the United Commercial Travelers Championship, and there was a local, a regional, and then an international portion to it. I was fortunate to advance through the local part…and then I ended up winning the regional, which allowed me to go to the international section,” Hearn said.
“It’s one of those experiences which I will never forget….when we went to the final tournament held in Victoria, British Columbia that year, I went on to meet a lot of kids who I would then end up playing with on the PGA Tour down the road. It was one of those unique experiences where I made friendships that have lasted a lifetime.”
Hearn said it was a natural step turning pro in 2001 as he worked very hard to achieve that goal. His career has been marked by various awards including winning the 2015 Canadian Male Professional of the Year as voted by the Golf Journalists Association of Canada. Photo courtesy Bernard Brault/Golf Canada.
However, the young golfer had another highlight in his junior career, being the World Junior Golf Championship in Japan.
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