Most athletes begin playing their respective sports at the same time they take their first steps. 

Whether it’s swinging a plastic club or kicking a ball, a majority of athletes have grown up mastering their craft; however, that wasn’t the case for Jared Bender.

Bender grew up playing baseball and basketball, but it was the summer before his freshman year of high school that he first picked up a golf club.

“I was always a pretty decent athlete, so I thought I wouldn’t have a problem with golf, but I was wrong,” said Bender, 19 in an interview at Point Park’s library. 

At 14 years old, Bender was looking to enjoy the summer before his freshman year at Warrior Run High School in Watsontown, Pa. Baseball season had just ended, and he was looking for something new to keep him busy during the summer. 

“At the time, a friend of mine and my older brother played golf, so I tried that and got hooked,” Bender said. 

There was something special about this sport.

“Growing up, we were always pretty close and doing things together,” Bender’s brother Steven said via phone Sunday. “But golf was something we both became addicted to, and it was another sport we could be competitive against each other in.”

Growing up Bender spent his winters playing basketball and his springs playing baseball, but he wanted something else in the fall. Golf would be the perfect fit.

Bender didn’t waste any time, either, as he joined the school team early that summer. 

“It was tough, but I did have an easier time because of baseball and the similar swing,” Bender said.

Bender found it hard to adjust without a coach and adequate practice time.

“The disadvantage would be that I had to figure out a lot more on my own,” Bender said. “I had nothing to base my thoughts on. There was a lot of trial and error. I just had to read up and watch what others were doing, and try things.”

Despite the disadvantages, Bender believes that doing it on his own also had its upsides.

“The advantages are that you know you can try a lot of different things, and you quickly find out what you can and can’t do,” Bender said.

After his freshman year, Bender continued to play golf, baseball and basketball. For Bender, the sports had their similarities and differences, but there was one glaring difference. 

“Other sports are faster paced and you can play on reaction,” Bender said. “Golf, you’re all alone with your thoughts and have more time to think.”

In high school, Bender’s greatest accomplishment came in baseball. During his senior year, Bender and his teammates came one playoff win away from having the opportunity to play in a minor league stadium. 

This was a disappointing end to his high school career, but he decided to use this as an opportunity to focus on golf. At the time, Bender wasn’t sure whether or not he would play a sport in college. He knew the level of competition would be much higher, which is why he signed up for a North Central Pennsylvania Golf Association (NCPGA) junior tournament. 

This was the first time Bender had ever participated in an individual event, so he didn’t have high expectations. His goal was simply to see how he stacked up against the competition. He went out and exceeded his expectations. 

In his first event on the NCPGA Junior Tour at the Dennis C. Lienhard Memorial Tournament, Bender claimed the Division I advanced and overall title with a score of 78, which was two strokes lower than the runner-up. 

Bender wouldn’t have long to savor the victory, though, as a week later the Junior Tour stopped at his home course, the White Deer Golf Course. Now that he had his first victory under his belt, the only question now was whether or not he could do it again. 

Those questions were answered early on. Bender clearly rode the momentum from his previous victory, as he fired the lowest 9-hole score of the day with a 2-under 34. He kept up the strong play through the back nine with a 2-over 38. This was good enough for an even-par 72 on the day, and another tournament victory. This time, he took first place by four strokes. 

Bender became the first tour player that summer to notch back-to-back victories. 

“I never played in real tournaments like those,” Bender said. “Not knowing the pressure and winning gave me the confidence to go out and beat other skilled players, and it made me decide to play golf at college.”

Now, he just needed to decide on a school. That decision ended up being easier than he thought.

“My mom’s side of the family are from Pittsburgh and are huge sports fans,” Bender said. “I saw that Point Park University had a team here, and I called the coach. I saw it was the level of golf I’d be interested in playing.”

Once he visited the school and spoke with head coach Gabe Bubon, he was sold. Not only did he like the school and the program, but he would be playing alongside his brother, Steven. 

Bender felt very confident entering the season after a successful summer of junior golf; however, there were still some questions about how good the college competition would be. 

With so many new members on the team this year, Bender hasn’t gotten a lot of experience yet. 

He did participate in the Carnegie Mellon Fall Invitational at the Longue Vue Golf Club last October. Out of the ten Point Park golfers who participated in the one-day tournament, Bender shot the seventh best score with a 94. 

Even though Bender sees room for improvement, he has made an impression on some of his teammates.

“Jared pushes you to keep your foot on the gas the whole way through your round,” teammate Nick Finoli said via phone interview Sunday. “Right when you think you have Jared beat, he will go on a birdie and par streak and leave you wondering, ‘What just happened?’”

The sports, arts and entertainment (SAEM) major is now in his second semester at Point Park, and he has one goal entering the spring.

“My goal for the rest of the spring season is that I want to be there and compete in every tournament,” Bender said. “Overall, I just want to get better every year.”

Bender knows that he will never be perfect, and that’s what keeps him going.

“It’s the chase for perfection,” Bender said. “It’s that you can never be perfect at it, but you keep trying to be, and you’ll never get there, but you work for it.”