How chess and the violin helped PGA Tour winner Ryan Gerard get his tour card

Q: How did Ryan Gerard's childhood influence his golf career?

Ryan Gerard's childhood experiences, including playing golf at a young age and his father's coaching, significantly shaped his approach to the game.

Q: What role did chess and the violin play in Ryan Gerard's development?

Chess and the violin helped develop Ryan Gerard's focus and discipline, which are crucial skills in golf.

Q: What is unique about Ryan Gerard's golf swing?

Ryan Gerard's swing is characterized as flat and short, lacking aesthetic appeal but is noted for its repeatability and effectiveness.

Q: Who coached Ryan Gerard during his early golf training?

Ryan Gerard was primarily coached by his father, who played golf in college and professionally.

When I was 5, we moved to a house that sits on the right side of the 15th hole at Wildwood Green Golf Club, a semi-private course in Raleigh, N.C. Three years later, my parents went out one afternoon and left me with a babysitter. I convinced her to walk down to the pro shop, get a cart and drive me around to play a few holes. My parents tell lots of stories about how they’d be looking for me in the yard and realize I’d walked onto the course.

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My dad played in college then professionally for a little while. He was my coach for the first 10 years of my life and taught me the majority of what I know: the fundamentals, establishing routines. He taught me to work hard because just wanting to be good doesn’t make anyone special.

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My swing lacks the aesthetic appeal that some other guys’ swings have. My move developed naturally without much video. I get made fun of for it. It’s flat, short, my hands work around my body, my wrist is bowed at the top, and the clubface is shut. But I don’t care what it looks like. It’s repeatable.

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The Wildwood owners prioritized junior golf. There aren’t any munys in Raleigh, so Wildwood has taken pride in being an accessible course for everyone. There’s nothing but golf, so that helps keep the prices reasonable. Even though they do 55,000 rounds per year, they give juniors slots to play and pair them with good players. Great players have come out of there such as Grayson Murray, Doc Redman, Carter Jenkins, the list goes on and on. There are a lot of uneven lies, grainy areas, and intimidating shots. All day, it pushes you to make decisions.

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I played basketball, was president of the high school badminton club, and I was in the chess club. Chess is less about execution and more about planning. I find it very Zen and still play today. It allows me to turn my brain on and be competitive with zero risk of injury. I also played violin for 14 years. I don’t play anymore, but I was in an orchestra and a quartet. The violin was always very calming for me. The rhythm and the commitment to pursuing perfection, watching how tiny changes can make a big difference—it really aligns with golf. My understanding of musical rhythm has flowed into my putting stroke.

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I arrived at the University of North Carolina full of irrational confidence. I was joining a team with a lot of talent, including Ben Griffin. I’d won some AJGA tournaments and thought I was ready to take college golf head-on. My first year, I had six top-20 finishes but didn’t qualify to play every match. It was a kick in the face.

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Ryan Gerard with the winner's trophy after winning the 2025 Barracuda Championship

Lachlan Cunningham

If things were going well, they would continue going well. If going poorly, they’d go even worse. My first qualifier, we played Hope Valley C.C. in Durham, and I shot 49 on the front from hitting it O.B. a hundred times. There wasn’t stability in what I was doing. It was a lot of rolling off straight vibes and seeing what would happen.

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My coaches worked with me on my attitude: staying positive, walking with confidence, doing everything with conviction. They allowed me to get frustrated—let out a curse under my breath or give the bag a little whack—but it could only last a moment. They wanted me to play with fire, not anger. It’s a fine line. Then the next season, I led the team in birdies.

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I studied economics and geography. I wanted to turn pro but knew I’d stay four years because my parents really wanted me to get a degree. If you’re going to be successful in golf, learning how not to spend all your money is probably a good thing.

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I turned pro after graduation in 2022 and won a U.S. Open qualifier. That got me a signing bonus from Titleist. I had some good finishes in Canada that year and played some Korn Ferry Monday qualifiers. I didn’t have much in terms of sponsors. In Panama, when I was down to $10,000, I knew something good had to happen and soon. A few weeks later, I Monday qualified for the Cognizant Classic and finished in the top five. I was off and running after that. In 2025, I was a PGA Tour rookie and won the Barracuda Championship.

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I want to win more tournaments, win a major and play in the Ryder Cup. I also want to use whatever success I have for good. In Scotland, they have short courses that are open to everyone. I want to open a course for kids like that. It’ll cost them basically nothing and be a safe place for them to get as good as they dream to be, like I had. —With Keely Levins