Annandale’s Ace- Ben Greve

At the age of 5 Ben Greve picked up his first iron. Proud dad Dave showed him how to grip it properly and Ben started swinging.
The first big test of Greve’s devotion to golf came in the seventh grade when he had to choose between spring sports, golf and baseball. Golf won out.
Throughout his high school career, Greve spent the fall on the football field, the winter on the basketball court and the spring on the golf course.
This fall as a college freshman, Greve once again had to make a decision about which sport to play and in what division to play.
Golf was on the top of the list.
St. Cloud State University, a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II school, offered him a basketball scholarship.
Gustavus Adolphus, a NCAA Division III school whose golf program is considered the best in the country, offered him the chance to play both basketball and golf.
But when he was given the opportunity to play golf in the Big 10 at the University of Minnesota, Greve couldn’t turn it down.
The U of M golf program is ranked in the top seven in the nation.
“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” Greve said.
As a recruit/walk-on for the U of M Gopher golf team, Greve is just one of two or three Minnesotans who were selected. His teammates are some of the best players from Canada, Sweden, Australia, Colombia and other parts of the United States.
While this is all very impressive, Greve still has his feet securely planted on the ground.
“I’m going to have to learn how to manage my time,” Greve said. “We practice every day from 1 to 6 p.m.”
Just making the team is an accomplishment for any young golfer, but that is just the beginning.
Ten athletes make up the team, and compete for five spots in each tour. To earn a U of M golf bag, recruits must score in the 60s in a qualifying round.
Golf tournaments are held all over the country and the world, including Hawaii and the Dominican Republic.
There are mandatory study sessions for athletes and they are told upon applying to the U of M that athletes normally take five years to finish their coursework and graduate.
U of M head golf coach John Means, scouted Greve at a golf tournament in Detroit Lakes and was impressed by Greve’s talent, especially when he learned Greve only golfed a few months out of the year and participated in two other sports in high school.
Dave Greve said Means confirmed what he already knew about Ben’s golf game – that he plays with his head.
Means said that one of the reasons for recruiting him was his athletic ability and the fact that he is comparatively inexperienced compared to some of his teammates that play year around.
Greve has a lot of natural talent to be sure, but it was his ability to stay focused and always step up to the level of his competitors that impressed coach Means.
Ben’s golf goals are to learn as much as he can and improve his game.
“We’ll see where I can go from there,” said Greve modestly as to his chances for success with the Gophers.
To see where Greve is headed, you have only to look at where he has been and how he got there.
As a sophomore, Greve finished third in Class A state competition. That not being quite good enough, the following year Greve won (he was co-medalist) the Class A state tournament.
However, even the most focused and talented players have bad days – Greve is no exception. He finished eighth overall his senior year, and although he was disappointed in his performance, he chose to look at it as a learning experience.
Over this past summer, Greve put that experience to work in numerous competitions around the state.
In the state amateur competition, Greve shot a 77-78-72, and finished 24th out of 180 participants.
The highlight of Greve’s summer came when he finished 11th out of 180 participants in the state Pro-Am competition. He shot a 74-/69-69 on a par 72 golf course.
Greve feels his strength lies in that he can play well in all kinds of weather.
“I’m good at low shots, which is a big help in bad weather,” Greve said.
His greatest weakness is his putting. But that is where years of his father’s coaching come back to him: ‘grind, never give up, give 100 percent,’ Greve can hear his father’s words.
When asked what trait learned in golf has carried over into his life off the golf course, Greve said without a doubt, patience.
“It takes a lot of patience to play golf, you have to stay focused even when you’re not playing well,” Greve said.
“He is a consistent player, because he has a great mental capacity for the game.” Dave said.
It is obvious not only in his play, but in his manner. Greve is wise beyond his years and relates well to people of all ages. A well-rounded, self-confident and talented young man, who seems after all his successes to be as down to earth and unassuming as a young person could be.
Dave Greve said his son is goal- oriented and uses his patience to help dig himself out of holes.
But what makes him most proud is that other golfers respect Ben’s game.
“During a Detroit Lakes golf tournament this summer the golf coach from Waconia caddied for Ben,” Dave said. “He actually searched Ben out and asked him if he could caddy for him. I guess that’s as good an example as any of what kind of player Ben is and how well he can relate to others.”
Sandy, Ben’s mother, and Dave Greve are particularly impressed with the coaching at the U of M.
The assistant coach Brad James, an Australian, has a particularly good relationship with Ben.
“Coach James and Ben are both low-key, thoughtful kind of men,” Sandy said. “They get along well.”
“I have a lot of respect for the Coach Means and Coach James,” Greve said. “I think I can learn a lot from them.”
Dave agreed with his son, “Now he knows more about it [golf] than I do. His game is at a point where he needs a trained eye to give him advice. He is beyond where my eye is trained.”
Greve said he thinks he would like to be a golf pro and/or play in mini tours and is considering majoring in business.
When asked who he admires in the sport of golf, Greve said Minnesota native Tom Lehman tops his list, followed closely by 19 year old Sergio Garcia of Spain. As for Tiger Woods, Greve said it gets old watching someone win all the time, not that he would mind if it happened to him.
For right now however, Ben and his family are happy with where he is headed.
“He has learned the life qualities of dedication and a positive attitude playing golf,” Dave said. “His future success is only a matter of combining those with education and determination."