Brian Affleck is not giving up on his dream.
The Pictou County man leaves this weekend en route for Florida where he will compete in the West Florida Golf Tour and prepare for the PGA Tour Canada Qualifying School hoping to earn status on the Canadian tour.
Affleck has been trying for the last couple of years to kickstart his pro golf career and hopes to see his dreams take off this year thanks to the help of some local people who are backing him financially.
“The next three years is really going to be the determining factor for me,” Affleck said. “I want to give myself a legitimate chance. I feel like in the first two years I haven’t given myself a chance at all, because I haven’t had the financial backing.”
He said financial restraints kept him from playing full time and distracted him when he was playing.
He’s hoping that will start to turn around now though. He said he owes a lot to local businessman Tom Brady who has helped fundraise for him the last few months. He’s also changed his approach by looking for lots of small individual donations rather than large donations and has seen how $100 here and $100 there can make a difference.
He now has enough money saved for rent, travel and the qualifying school and is just hoping to raise enough to compete in about 10 tournaments.
“I’d rather play more events because it’ll help me get my mental edge back,” he said.
Affleck has golfed competitively since he was 12, played for Potomac State College in West Virginia and was a runner-up at the American junior college championship.
The last couple of years he’s competed on tours in the southern states, where he’s gotten a real taste of what it takes to make it as a pro. He also got some positive feedback from veterans of the game there who have told him that he has the potential not only to compete but to dominate in the PGA.
It may be that that dream doesn’t come true, but it won’t be because Affleck didn’t try.
“At the end of three years, I want to say things are heading in the right direction. I don’t want to prolong it for 10 or 12 years,” he said. “But I’d rather give it all I have now than sit back in 30 years time and ask, Why didn’t I stick with it? Why didn’t I try?”
If you would like to become a financial contributor to Affleck’s pursuits you can contact him at 921-1973 or Tom Brady at 396-7086. More info is also available at www.brianaffleck.com
