Charles (Chase) Ruge '21 Recruiting Profile

My name is Charles Ruge, but I go by Chase, and I have spent the last five years studying at North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek, Florida. I have enjoyed living in Florida for the past six years because I love the weather and enjoy playing golf.

I was born on Long Island, New York, and spent most of my time as a little kid in Amityville. It was a wonderful place to grow up because I was with many friends and family. My Mom's side of the family lives around Amityville, New York so it was very convenient to spend time with them all. When I was twelve years old, I moved to Parkland, Florida with my family. It was difficult acknowledging that I was not going to be surrounded by cousins, aunts, uncles, and my loving grandparents. However, we spend holidays, vacations, and summers in New York to spend time with our family and friends. I do feel blessed to have a close relationship with my grandparents and aunts, uncles, and cousins. I also value the relationships and diversity of our family and appreciate the opportunity to grow up close to my family.

When I was thirteen years old, I picked up the game of golf. I can remember my first golf lesson like it was yesterday. I was so excited and I wanted to be like the next Tiger Woods. My coach was helping me with learning how to turn with my body rather than using my arms to create consistent contact with the golf ball. I knew I had the potential to improve my game and play competitively. I also have been influenced by my grandfather who loved the game of golf and he taught me many mental and technical lessons of the game. I have had a great bonding experience with my grandfather since we share the love of the great game of golf.

I tried out for the golf team in eighth grade and made the junior varsity team. I was very nervous in my first match verse American Heritage. They had many talented players on their team, but we were able to win the match that day. That influenced me to keep working hard because I knew I had the potential to be successful in the game of golf.

Golf has been one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences of my life. My freshman and sophomore years had many ups and downs. In my sophomore year, I did not make the varsity team and that was a great disappointment because I had friends on the varsity team and I knew I had the potential to play on that level. However, in my sophomore year, I kept my composure and worked hard to move up in the junior varsity rankings and at the end of the year, I was awarded the Most Valuable Player. It taught me to not to lose faith and belief in myself. I worked very hard to improve my technical and mental skills over the summer and made the varsity golf team in my junior year. My first varsity tournament of my junior year was the Westminster Invitational at the Biltmore in Miami. I am proud to say, I played one of my best rounds in my first tournament and came in first place. I shot a seventy-one, which was one over par. My junior year was such a momentous year for so many reasons, but most of all, I was able to help and represent in the Florida State Championship. This past year was an incredible learning experience, and I hope to be part of the team to help us win the State Championship in 2021.

My dream is to play college golf and to have a career in the golf profession.