Putting to perfection: Gloucester’s Levi Vannoy
GLOUCESTER, Va. — Fourteen-year-old Levi Vannoy has spent half his life perfecting his skills on the golf course. As a member of the Gloucester High School us as we get to know Levi!
What is the greatest challenge you face in your sport?
Levi Vannoy: The biggest challenge for me is once I start to play bad it’s hard to stay very positive and stop playing bad and get back into the game. One way I manage to overcome this challenge is think about the positives of being on the course, such as no school for the day.
What do you love most about your sport?
Vannoy: I love that with golf it’s not really a team sport and your scores show how good you are. Bad shots happen and it’s up to you to stop hitting those bad shots and start hitting the good shots.
Do you have any traditions or rituals to help you prepare before an event?
Vannoy: My pregame ritual for this golf season was to eat a 10-piece chicken mini with a medium Hi-C from Chick-Fil-A before all of my tournaments.
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Vannoy: Being a member of a team has taught me that even when someone has a bad round our teammates always try to cheer us up and help us forget about the day and remind us about the good days we’ve had. It is nice to share the struggles and successes with my teammates.
What is some of the best advice you have been given?
Vannoy: The best piece of advice I`ve got would have to be from my coach Josh Speight. He told me that even though you don’t think so, your school and grades are probably the most important thing about your game because you can be awesome at golf but if those grades aren’t good then the rest doesn’t matter.
When you have time away from school and golfing, what do you like to do?
Vannoy: I like to shoot basketball with my older sister Kate, throw football with my oldest cousin Andrew and do things with my friends outside of golf.
Has there ever been a time you made a mistake and worked to improve for the next chance?
Vannoy: One of the many mistakes I’ve made while playing was I had a big slice and instead of trying to play it, I played like I was going to hit the ball straight. Once I figured it out, I played the ball to turn over right and went on to shoot 72 for the day.
Parental Praise
From a young age, Levi has loved golf. From his first PGA Junior League competitions to now playing high school and junior golf, the growth he has shown both on and off the golf course has been extremely rewarding to see from a father’s perspective. I pray that his love for the game never fades. I just wish I could still beat him! -Jonathan Vannoy, father
Coach Compliments
I have been working with Levi as his swing coach since 2021. He is a phenomenal young man and his growth over the years has been remarkable. His passion for golf and determination for improving shows how hard working he is. Most importantly he is and has become a great human being. His future is certainly very bright and I am grateful to be a part of his journey. -Josh Speight, PGA
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