Matt Naumec '15 has golf in his past, present and future

Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Matt Naumec ’15 regularly drives a golf ball farther than most professionals, and his swing speed is also faster than most pros. After a 2012 season in which he placed in the top 10 at a pair of nationwide events, Matt wants to give playing on the pro tour his best shot.

If making a living by playing golf doesn’t work out, however, Matt already has a back-up plan.

“I want to be a player, with the idea of being a tour professional,” Matt said. “But if that doesn’t happen I want to stay in golf. It’s my passion and I don’t want to do anything else. I love all aspects of it. I love teaching and helping my friends.

“When I go to courses, I always think to myself how a course could be better and how could I improve it. I think if I got a chance to be a golf designer that would be awesome. I’m always thinking about how I could put a bunker here, or add water there, or make a hole a dogleg. I’m interested in all of that.”

Matt played this season on the American Junior Golf Association Tour, which is the most competitive junior golf series in the United States. He took ninth, 10th and 13th at events in Florida, Massachusetts and Illinois, and also competed in Vermont and on Cape Cod.

“This is one of the strongest seasons I’ve had with junior golf,” Matt said. “I had some really strong finishes. This would be a good year to base my next year off of and go from here because it was such a good year for me.”

Matt also played on the Future Challenge World Tour, where he competed in events throughout the east coast. He won an event in North Carolina early in the season, and later placed third at a competition in Rhode Island. He was named to the tour’s All-American Second Team.

Matt’s early-season victory at North Carolina launched him into a successful 2012 season. It also led him to attending a golf camp at Wake Forest University, which competes at the Division I level and golfs nearly the entire school year.

“Winning a FCWT really boosted my confidence for my other tournaments,” Matt said. “It showed me I have the talent to compete with other kids from all over the United States. I used that tournament to feed my confidence for the next one.”

Matt began golfing when he was 4 years old, and when he was 7 he was already on the U.S. Kids World Championship Tour. He played on the world tour for seven years.

“My family has been the most supportive family there could ever be when it comes to the junior golf,” Matt said. “They haven’t pressured me to play at all. They told me to follow my own dreams. They let me play any sport I wanted. But I love golf and it’s been my passion forever. My grandfather has been my swing coach. I look to him for guidance because he was my first teacher.”

Matt won the longest drive contest at the 2010 West Palm Beach PGA National in Florida. His average drive is currently 315 yards, and his swing speed is between 118-124 mph, which is one notch below the swing speed of Tiger Woods.