Drake Kanuch’s golf journey began with family—and a putter. “I started playing golf with my family,” said the Ada High School standout. “They would go out and play in scrambles with their friends and take me along at a young age. They would hand me a club and let me putt on the green. I had a lot of support from Lakewood in Ada.”
It didn’t take long for Drake to catch the competitive bug. “I got inspired by golf when I made it to US Kids Worlds my first year on tour at eight,” he said. “The experience was unmatched as a young kid. You were playing against kids from all over the country and world. That excited me and showed me what this game could offer me at a high level.”
This season, Drake is proud of the team he’s part of and the goals they’re working toward. “I’m really excited about the team we have this year,” he said. “The Rodgers brothers are really good golfers, and the rest of our team grinds it out each week. We all want to go compete at state.”
As a leader, Drake takes his role seriously. “My role on the team is to compete at a high level and give my team the best possible shot at winning,” he said. “There are some really talented golfers in our class and throughout the state and I need to compete each and every time we play them.”
That level of play doesn’t come without preparation. “I really try to work hard to compete at a high level. A typical week is morning weightlifting, practice rounds in the afternoon, and swing training at Ball Golf every other week.”
For Drake, the journey is personal. “Last season I shot my personal best low round at Trosper Golf Course and recorded a 68,” he said. “It was a great feeling to go low against a really talented field of players.” He also has many coaches he looks up to: “I would say for swing speed, Dan Macintosh, for being an all-around great golfer, Michael Huff, and for teaching me course management, coach Robbie Powell.”
When asked what advice he’d share, Drake offered this: “Don’t count yourself out at an early age. You never know what you will be, how good you be, and who you be when you are a senior!”
