NORTHBROOK, Ill. (BVM) — Ever since he was young, Nick Hardy had a passion for the game of golf. By the age of 9, Hardy began drawing crowds to see his spectacular bunker shots and watch him play in tournaments. He also quickly prevailed in rounds against his own father. Today, Hardy is currently competing in the Korn Ferry Tour while his hometown of Northbrook, Ill., eagerly watches and roots for him.

Nick’s father, John Hardy, knew his son was destined for golf from the start.

“Ever since he was 9 months old and could walk, he started chipping with plastic clubs in the backyard,” John said. “He just fell in love with it right away.”

After focusing on baseball in his own high school athletic career, John knew he would not be able to train Nick. So, he did some research and introduced Nick to his current coach, Brett Packee.

When John first brought Nick to meet Packee, the coach critiqued Nick and told him that he was less than impressed. But Packee gave some quick suggestions, and within three swings Nick had already incorporated them. Suffice it to say, their coach-player relationship took off after that.

“We have a great dialogue with everything; my golf swing, the game itself, and friendship,” Nick said. “This whole summer, I’ve been on the road and we’re in contact every week. I don’t need to see him in order to know what I need to be working on. That part of the relationship is so big for a player and a coach. Our dialogue back and forth is really special because we’ve been together for 14 years now.”

Packee, along with Glenbrook North coach Justin Gerbich and University of Illinois coach Mike Small, made a tremendous impact on Nick’s golf game. Nick also gets support from his caddy, Eric Markus.

“Eric’s been caddying for me since we were like 17,” Nick said. “We grew up together. One summer I asked him to caddy for me and since then, for the last seven or eight years, he’s been on the bag for me for most of my big tournaments and still is to this day. We do everything together whether it’s going to the store, traveling for tournaments, or just going to the golf course.”

In addition to his coaches and caddy, Nick has a very supportive family as well. Some of his favorite early memories are listening to the Rolling Stones with his mother, Kim Hardy, on the way to tournaments. Although Nick’s three younger sisters chose to play soccer over golf, they are still very encouraging of their older brother.

“His sisters are his biggest fans,” John said. “I mean, I’m not objective, but Nick is a very good brother and they love him. And they’re very proud of him.”

As his father, John often finds himself more nervous than Nick during rounds and described traveling for golf as “stressful vacations.” As anxious as he may get, John knows Nick is in it for the long haul.

“My favorite memory about Nick is from when he was 8 years old,” John said. “It was April and we were watching The Masters and he was giving his sister the business and he wouldn’t stop. So, I sent him to his room. I went up to check on him 15 minutes later and he was face down in the pillow crying and I’m like, ‘Nick, what’s wrong?’ And he’s like, ‘Thanks for ruining my masters.’ That’s when I knew.”

Nick has carried that same enthusiasm through his entire golf career. He may be competitive, but his love of the game is what keeps him going. He was able to discover that on the Northbrook courses.

“I played four years at Glenbrook North, just making golf fun,” Nick said. “That’s really what it’s all about and what high school sports, in general, are about — making it fun. Those are my greatest memories for sure.”

Nick also holds fond memories of playing at Anetsberger Golf Course and Sportsman’s Country Club during his youth.

“They gave out great deals for young kids to play a lot each summer and I would do that with my friends all the time,” Nick said. “That was huge for me.”

After graduating high school, Nick went on to play golf for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign while obtaining a sports science degree. There, he helped the Fighting Illini win four Big Ten championships while becoming a first team All-American golfer.

As Northbrook’s excitement for Nick rises, both he and his father are very grateful for the community support.

“It’s unbelievable,” John said. “The whole town is like, ‘How’s Nick doing? How’s Nick doing?’ Now I have people that I haven’t seen in 15 years and they’re naming scores from two weeks ago. It’s crazy but it’s also awesome and appreciated.”

John also recognizes how important the game of golf has been for Nick. Competing at a young age taught him to talk respectfully to adults, referee himself honestly, and many other important lessons.

But it’s the determination that Nick learned from his parents which ultimately sets him apart.

“Headlines and stuff like that are amazing and I love it,” Nick said. “But that’s not why I compete. I compete to try to win. My goal is to see how good I can be and that’s what I play for.”