Sage Bradshaw is a junior golfer from Hilton Head, SC. Class of 2026
Okay in five four 3 two one good evening ladies and gentlemen welcome to the junior golf podcast I’m your host Ro Thompson and man we got a special guest in the building can you hear me okay yes sir I can all right so uh ladies and gentlemen
We got a special guest um on the podcast tonight we have none other than Sage Bradshaw from Hilton Head South Carolina give it up Sage how you doing tonight I’m doing great thanks for having me good hey thanks for being on man you know I’ve been watching you
Progress in the uh in the junior golf space and I I I like what I see we’ll get to some of that stuff in just a few minutes but man before we get into all the junior golf talk tell us a little tell us a little bit about
Yourself yes sir so I’m 16 years old um I’m a graduate in the 2026 class um and I live in Hilton Head and I’m attending hiltonhead Christian Academy I have two awesome sisters downstairs that are watching hopefully and uh and two great two great parents that um are so
Supportive of me I couldn’t thank them enough yes yes we’ve been we’ve been you know Sage I guess we’ve probably been knowing you for about what 10 years now yes sir yes sir coming up in the junior golf ranks right you you and about that
You and John have been playing a lot of junior golf tournaments together us kids right yes sir I remember that yeah yeah so Sage tell us take us back to to when you first got started how did you get into the game of
Golf yes so I was so I’m I was born in August my birthday’s in August and uh for my first Christmas my granddad gave me a set of real golf clubs I was still in a carrier so I had no clue what to do with them or I could I mean I couldn’t
Even walk or talk so it was kind of like one of those presents and my dad was questioning what because my dad played college baseball so he was hoped when I was going to be a baseball kid but um he gave him to me I uh I was crawling with him under me
And I couldn’t have imagined it going any better than how it has so far and I used to I remember my dad used to record the Masters and the open and all those amazing tournaments and I would wake up grab my little cup of chocolate milk
From the fridge and walk in there and turn on the TV every morning and watch some golf wow so that’s that that’s what that’s how the journey started yes sir good now now why did you why did you continue to play golf why do
You why do you like why do why do you love golf so much because I can tell you you love it but what what what made you like really grab hold to golf I’m a big history BS and I love to compete so I mean this this probably
Most historic game has so much tradition from the Masters open I mean you can walk the grounds as the same as Jack Nicholas and tiger and um all the golf courses most of them at least you can go play yourself and and uh but the bottom
Line is I just really enjoy the game it’s cliche but has many parallels to life you have good days and bad days um you usually end up getting bigger games from the ones that are bad but I think it’s how you handle the process of
Failure is how you gain the love for the game and I think that’s probably how I enjoyed it so much and I couldn’t imagine playing another sport right now so do do you play any other sports or just golf just golf just golf football coaches wanted be
Um come play tight end or o line or something but I I told him I’m I’m too much of a um wuss and I don’t really want to get hurt so right right yeah golf golf is one of those Sports say you don’t have to worry about contact you
Know getting yes sir getting hurt you know getting concussions and that yeah so now Sage what have you what have you been doing to get so good at this game because I’ve seen you like really take off in this game so give us you know give us a little maybe your
Practice schedule tell us a little bit about what you’ve been doing to get really good at the game of golf well I’m very thankful to be able to live 30 minutes for my coach the Tim cup he’s uh since we’ve moved down here and I’ve started working with him he
He’s been astronomically made the difference and um I couldn’t have asked for a better person to be working my game with um that being said we’s he’s got me working on some stuff with my wedges um trying to get in some stock yardages and flighted Ledges for this
Going into the spring season um I’m also working on trying to flight the ball down or higher um being able to work the ball a little bit better versus just trying to go at the flag which I have a tendency of doing too much um but really just being consistent and practice and
Trying to make sure every rep is accounted for and um making sure every swing is with a swing thought um I’ve also been working on my pacing a lot my Tempo with my swing I started going a slower back swing going into the summer this year and I kind of started getting
In inconsistent during the fall and I had a couple rough tournaments um but other than that that’s really it um but I really I really enjoy it it’s been a lot of fun last year working that’s good Sage for those of you that have just tuned in we’re talking to Sage Bradshaw
Sage is the number one 2026 player in the state of South Carolina um he’s ranked like 500 100 in the nation and top 75 in the country in 2026 I I hey Sage I’m the junior golf Guru so I know all the stats yes sir so Sage so Sage give us
Your practice routine what do you when you go when you go out because golf is one of those sports like your dad can’t be he can’t be everywhere with you know at every practice he’s got to work he’s got to pay for tournaments he’s got to make sure you you know
Lessons he got to take care of all of that what do you do when you get to the course what’s the first thing you do I always try and get a little bit of um chipping in before I go to full swing it really helps me be able to warm up but
Also kind of diversify my shots when I’m hitting them so I I’ll hit some flighted um wedges and or some high chips and flighted like high flighted wedges with no spin or low flighted wedges with a lot of spin but and I drive over to the um practice facility or the range with
My golf cart and hit all kinds of shot I really like I’m only hit seven irons mainly when I’m working on irons because it’s kind of middle it gives you that um short iron feel but also that longer iron feel um and then my I’d like to sa my strength
As my driver but it kind of can be my weakness at the same time because it it I’ll hit it good and I’ll play well or I’m sending it left and right and trying to scramble for pars but right I’m always makeing sure I get a few drivers
In there and then try and do some putting work um right at the end so then I’m leaving on a good note good deal so I was G and I was gonna ask you say what do you feel is the strongest part of your game and what do you feel is the
The weakest part that you have to really work hard at um the strongest part I feel like has been my ball striking recently um thanks to Tim we’ve we’ve really worked on trying to get my Tempo back to where it was was which is helped me gain distance
And consistency which is kind of The Best of Both Worlds um but the weakest part of my game definitely has been my putting um but it’s it’s gotten better I’ve been doing some stuff on the Sam putt live with Tim and it’s been phenomenal to be able to work on that
With him it’s crazy how many numbers they can give you on just a little shot that’s good that’s good well Sage you’ve had some some really good finishes this year and um you know do you feel like you playing your best golf ever um I feel like I’m playing better
Than I have in past years but I’m looking forward to hopefully getting better and being able to play my best golf in the future that’s kind of been how I’ve been thinking um you don’t have to peek now you’re G to be able to peek hopefully when I’m hopefully if I make a
PGA Tour run um hopefully peek when I’m on there maybe WI a few tournaments but um I do think I’m definitely hitting it better than I have in past year right and we’ll talk about PGA in just a few minutes but knowing what you know now Sage you know we got some some
Parents and we got some Junior golfers listening what would you say to the junior golfers that are trying to get better they may they may be ranked 5,000 in the country they may be ranked 2,000 in the country what what would you what would you recommend to them to help them
Get better at their game I my main thing that I always harp on when people ask me that question is just you have to love it and you have to surround with people who are also on that Journey that want to do the same thing that you want to do but you have
To also embrace the hardships because that’s where that’s really where you gain your most um your best lessons from and where you learn the most about yourself and I think um the best best best blessing I could asked for coming down here to Hilton Head has been my
Friend um we play against each other multiple times a week and um which used to be John in Columbia so I wish he was down here with us and that would been a lot of fun but um it definitely has been surrounding with people with or surrounding myself with people who have
The same goals and um are excited to get better so that’s awesome yeah it was you and Teddy and Grant paluchi and all you guys you know y’all used to battle a lot up here in Columbia who who’s some of your friends in in Hilton Head that you
Want to give a shout out to yes so Gab um he’s been my best friend we were on the same golf team we go to hilon Christian together um Kade kriscunas um committed to Maryland he’s great player work with Tim as well um JP Reid and
Philip Court both on my golf team both good to Hilton Christian Academy um Jack crur tag I mean I could sit here and name everybody down here they’re all so good it’s kind of hard to just pick a few but right it’s been it’s been a lot
Of fun a lot of good players man to to too many to like you said too many to R off now Sage I’ve seen you had I’ve seen you have some bad days and you know I’ve seen you have a lot of good day um what do you tell yourself when you’re having
A bad day you know what you know you know things may be a little off but but what do you try to tell yourself to kind of get your game back in line what what what what are some of the thoughts that go through your head yes sir so I always
Think about how I mean my worth is not defined on a of course it’s always I mean ever since I was little we’ve always talked about how it’s not found in golf that it’s found in the Lord um and that’s every time I walk off a golf
Course whether it’s the a good day or a bad day I try and give the glory to God um I definitely would not be where I am without his without him and I I couldn’t thank him enough for being alongside with me um but as I was saying earli you
Also have to embrace the bad days every player can handle success um I think that’s where I can separate myself is how I can process the bad days don’t get me wrong I get frustrated but it’s try and I try hard to not let a bad shot
Down hole or bad round go to waste um the real values in the struggle I’m going to grow more from the bad days than the good yeah and one thing that I can say sage I’ve never seen you throw a club have a bad attitude on the course
You’ve always been a really solid kid on the course and that’s why that’s why we’ve always embraced you we’ve always you know you you real respectful you like I said you don’t have a bad attitude so man you know and and I got to give it to your parents your parents
Has instill That Into You great job Mr Miss Bradshaw you’all done an excellent job with sa they are they are pretty awesome yes yes yeah hey your dad’s okay too yeah I mean he’s okay I guess right I like to have fun with when we out on the course so Sage talk about
Some of your favorite who’s some of your favorite PGA Tour players um I’ve always really liked Scotty since he came on the teene um he has such a good head on his shoulders and a great example is like it’s a great example to Junior golfers um I also one
Of the things I really like is whenever he won the Masters a couple years ago the first thing he said is I just want to give the glory to God and I I really really admire him for that um I’m also a big fan of Justin Thomas Jordan beast
And Sam Burns um I’m I have the pleasure of being a member at the May River Club and I actually I’ve seen Sam out here a few times so um that was pretty cool but I mean he’s a great dude so that’s good that’s good so so so if you could put
Together a dream paing and it could be pops it could be PGA Tour it could be somebody not on the tour who would your dream pairing be it would just be me and my dad just you and your dad there’s nobody just there’s nobody in the world that I enjoy
Playing golf more than with my dad um and we have some great conversation with golf course and if I couldn’t imagine having a better dad or better best friend so that’s good that’s really good so so now Sage what’s it uh what’s what’s in the
Bag so I’m actually am all ESS so I have a phantom I Scotty Phantom 5.5 I had a Newport 2 um going the last year and I I like the feel of the blade but I needed the stability of a mallet so that Phantom 5.5 kind of offsets it and then
I just got fitted for a few new clubs um I got a new set of irons I went to the newer t100’s and I’m playing the X100 shaft in them okay and then I’ve got TSR woods and TSR driver they’re all TSR 3s and then I’ve got Venice shafts in those and
Then I have VY w is 50 54 and 58 good good now what’s your what’s your secret weapon in your bag or what’s your what’s your good luck charm do you you have what’s the like what’s the strangest thing you have in your bag um I have it’s weird I have a ball
Marker from like like 10 years ago and it’s a plastic ball marker I never use it it’s from Forest Hills which is where we remembers that St Louis when we liveed there for a few years okay and I I took it out for like a couple weeks
Because I forgot to put it back in my back and I started playing about and I kind of noticed it was um one those things I was like well I probably should throw it back in there but um my secret weapon probably is my fivewood I love my
Fivewood you love the fivewood yeah because most people they carry three wood and you know but not a fivewood how how far do you carry your fivewood U right around 245 250 um if I hit it good maybe off a t i can get it up there 260 but that’s that’s kind of
Hitting it hard but that’s good okay and what are some of your favorite courses uh whether it’s South Carolina across the US what are some of your favorite courses out there um actually all mine are in South Carolina so my favorite is the ocean course yeah K okay yes sir I’ve played
In a couple tournaments there hurricane Junior gr T used to put a tournament on out there and that was a lot of fun um one year we actually got fogged out we didn’t even get to play the second day because it was so foggy you could have
See the back edge of the putting green oh wow it was that it was that foggy wow yes sir and then I’m I’m kind of biased when I say this but the course out here at P BL is um amazing it’s Jack Nicholas design so I love Jack Nicholas design
Courses so that’s probably two and then three is probably secession out in Du on Cat Island good now what’s your now say what’s what’s your lowest tournament round ever so my lest tournament round so that would have been um last year in the National High School Championship we got him as a team
Went out to Texas it was a lot of fun uh we played the first day I I honestly can’t even remember the golf course but it wasn’t the fields Ranch courses and I shot 67 after the first day um so that was that’s go that pretty cool the and
Then um it was during the open so we were watching the open that night and they had a little Ticker on the bottom it said it was like National High School Invitational and then it had the kid who was in first and then it had like bunch
Of people were stacked up at 500 so I have a picture of that and it was it was super cool to be able to see that with my team and now what did what did the number one shoot the kid who was the kid who was leading the tournament shot six under or
Seven under the first day it was insane oh yeah that’s so he shot 65 yes sir that’s incredible so yeah they had some so y’all had some really good kids out there what what part of Texas was that in you remember it was in Frisco the just of
Dallas was it was it okay so hot right they have the um I want to say they have the uh PGA out there now don’t they in Frisco uh yes sir that’s the it’s at the PGA headquarters right that’s correct that’s correct good deal now Sage you’re doing all of this you’re
Playing a lot of golf you’re you’re reaching you know some really good milestones in junior golf um if you had if if if if there were some college coaches out there that’s listening to this right now what what what would be your top let’s say they say top three schools what where
Would you like to go and play well that’s I mean that’s a great question but I don’t really have a specific answer to it um I I just know I love this game and I want to play it as long as I can um and to do that I need
To make sure I go to a school that will push me and help me reach my full potential um and I know there’s going to be a lot of variables in that just like coaching staff and facilities and team but yes I’m looking forward to whenever
That starts in June and it’ll be a lot of fun I’m excited to be able to talk to some coaches finally so that’s a that’s a that’s a really good answer say now if now now let’s say let’s say I’m a coach what can I expect from you if I if I
Recruited you on my team what can I expect from you um honestly I I always have pushed myself to try and work as hard as I can and get better um I can assure to the coach that I’m going to work as hard as I can to make sure that our team help
Their team succeeds and that I succeed and whatever that might be um not just golf but academics as well but um and I I hopefully I’ll be able to keep everybody levelheaded out there so good be a good leader be a good leader to the team right sir good sir good all right
And um would you would you like to give the next level a shot without a doubt I want to play as long as my potential will take me and I think hopefully that’ll be a PJ tour maybe a few wins maybe a couple Majors but um and that that really has been my
Goal since I was little I always have said I wanted to play on the PGA tour and I’m sticking to that good that’s a that’s a that’s a a very good go say that’s a that’s a you know it’s a it’s it’s a it’s a small percentage that make
It but if you yes sir make up in your mind that that’s what you want and you put the work in and go after it you can you can get that done good deal thank you so what’s the goal what’s the goal in in high school golf this
Year well I mean I feel like the end goal is always win a state championship so we’re going to try and run it back and win another one um we had a great great battle last year with Hil had prep so that’s actually a rival school which
Is kind of fun it’s it’s crazy though CU like all of our other sports are very intense with prep and we’re all really good friends with them the golf teams just hang out together all the time outside of the golf course and and what about an individual
Title I’m not against that I’ll try I’m gonna try and get two in a row in that one too so that’ll be that’ll be pretty fun if I can pull that one out you can do it man I I believe in you s sir and
You thank you man so so so sage and and as we wrap up um what would you say to encourage other Junior golfers that are striving to be you know top in their class top in the nation what would you what would you say to those other Junior
Golfers out there to inspire them um work hard and have fun um you got to embrace the journey so just because you have one hiccup doesn’t mean that your career is going to be set back um it really has been something like my dad is
So good my mom is so good about making sure that I um make sure that know that my worst not Eng Golf and no matter how you play and no matter how you practice um you’ve got your worth in the heavenly father in Jesus Christ and
Um just knowing that is one of the key things that I think my parents have taught me and that I’ve really embraced through my J your golf career so if you can work hard have fun and know where you’re worst at I think that you’ll go
As far as you possibly can in this game good good good I say you know we’re in a big social media age how can how can our listeners if they have a question about junior golf or they have question about golf in general how can our audience reach
You yes sir so I have Instagram that’s really the only thing I have um my Instagram I guess what you call it a handle yes I’m just getting those kind of stuff it’s um s s Sage Bradshaw 26 is my Instagram handle so um feel free to
Reach out if you have any questions or anything so I’ll be happy to answer beautiful beautiful well Sage this has been this has been great man I appreciate you doing this um like I said I’ve been watching you and I I love to get Juniors on to give their perspective
So other Juniors can listen because sometimes you know y’all don’t like to listen to the parents so maybe y’all will listen to some of the other Juniors that’s really succeeding and doing real well in the game of junior golf so again thank you Sage uh we appreciate you being on
Tonight and uh appreciate you agreeing to do this okay yes sir thanks so much for having me it was good to talk to you and see you again all right hang on
