Trace Crowe is family’s second sports trailblazer in as many generations

Trace Crowe was born to break the script. His father Dale, Furman basketball’s steady, slippery point guard, piloted the Paladins to an 83-70 upset of coach Dean Smith’s North Carolina Tar Heels in February 1979 – Furman’s second straight win over big, bad UNC. Smith and UNC’s fearsome defense were ranked No. 4 at the time, but as The Greenville News wrote: “On this night, with playmaker Dale Crowe gliding across the floor with the greatest of ease, those fears were unwarranted.”

Dale Crowe lived his basketball dream, but one thing remains on his bucket list: playing nine holes with his son. It would be a tall order – Dale, 65, lives in chronic back pain after a severe injury suffered from a fall in his mid-30s – but that won’t keep him from wishing it.

“And not for the golf,” he said. “Just to talk trash and have fun.”

Don’t rule it out. For the Crowes, adversity is just a construct.

Trace Crowe, 27, returns to his home state of South Carolina for this week’s inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic, in the town where he first decided to give golf a chance. It’s a full-circle moment for the PGA TOUR rookie, whose family will make the trip – dad, sister, brother-in-law, nephew and twin nieces – to lend love and support.

“They’ve slept in cars before tournaments, you know what I mean?” said Crowe’s sister Gretchen, 13 years older. “My dad was very committed to him succeeding.”

Crowe earned his first PGA TOUR card in unlikely fashion – finishing solo second at PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry’s Final Stage last fall, with just five cards and ties awarded, while battling a foot injury. It was a sort of golf equivalent of Dale, decades earlier, beginning his college career at Anderson Junior College before transferring to Furman, which proceeded to go 2-1 against North Carolina in his time there.

Sometimes the road less traveled is the best way, and Trace, too, has broken his own path.

Crowe was raised off the 10th hole at Smithfields Country Club, a semi-private track in small-town Easley (a small city of 23,000 in upper-west South Carolina), and try as Dale Crowe might, he could never get his youngest son to pick up a golf club. That changed on a travel baseball trip to Myrtle Beach when Trace was 10. Father and son visited Martin’s, a golf and tennis store, during a break between games. Dad bought son a set of six clubs – driver, 3-wood, 5-iron, 7-iron, wedge and putter – and Trace never played travel baseball again, Dale said. The younger Crowe continued to dabble in pickup basketball through his high school years – like his father – but golf was the focus from then onward.

With Trace practically living at the course, Dale Crowe gave his son a hunting walkie-talkie to communicate when he’d be home for dinner. Trace pushed his limits. “Sometimes you’d want to stay a little longer, just say (the walkie-talkie) didn’t work,” Trace quipped. “Always got home, or I got in trouble. It was one of the two.”

Crowe won the Smithfields club championship at age 14, earning a desirable parking spot for the year – without his driver’s license, he’d park his golf cart in it. Golf wasn’t cheap, particularly traveling to junior events, but club regulars kept him supplied with equipment, for they could see his knack for the game – he had good hands. Brothers Daniel and Jonathan Bowden would offer ad hoc instruction as Crowe learned the fundamentals (Daniel now coaches at UNC-Wilmington; Jonathan is a performance coach and college recruiting consultant). But his first formal instruction didn’t come until shortly before college, from Jackie Seawell, the late father of longtime Alabama men’s golf coach Jay Seawell.

Dale Crowe savored it all, for while he came to the game late, he made up for lost time. He got his first lesson from fellow Furman student Brad Faxon (they met through mutual friends) and was hooked. He got good quickly and had progressed to a 4 or 5 handicap before his accident curtailed his golf days. He worked for a paper company, coached college basketball and had three children: Gretchen, Ty and Trace, by far the youngest.

After his accident, Dale spent time in real estate and was part owner of a mortgage company, but chronic pain limited his work capacity. He worked overtime, though, for his son’s golf prospects that became a shared dream.

“He was a really good salesman to the people in our town,” Trace said. “Everybody helped out. We used every last penny to get to junior events, stayed with a bunch of people. We would stay at some sketchy spots now, looking back at it, but you didn’t think about any of that. You’re just so excited to get to go play.”

Trace never played an American Junior Golf Association event, but he attracted attention in South Carolina. He received a scholarship to complete high school at the Hilton Head Christian Academy (preparing him for college golf) and landed at Auburn, where he flourished and spent a few years after college before moving to Charlotte.

Crowe began 2023 on conditional Korn Ferry Tour status but played so well that he narrowly missed his TOUR card through the top 30 on the season-long standings. Still, after having earned his spot at Q-School’s Final Stage, he triumphed through injury to achieve the dream that began in a Myrtle Beach golf-and-tennis store.

Crowe never cries after golf tournaments, regardless of outcome. That changed on the final day of Q-School’s Final Stage. As he walked up the 72nd fairway at TPC Sawgrass’ Dye’s Valley Course, living in the moment, he caught a glimpse of his dad and sister from the corner of his eye. He couldn’t help it. He broke.

Good thing he had five shots to play with. He tapped in for bogey and his TOUR card and made a beeline to celebrate with those who matter most, including his father, whom The Greenville News described as gliding across the court during that upset of UNC.

All these years later, Trace Crowe was now doing the same, practically walking on air.

“I’m so happy and blessed to be out here,” Crowe said. “All the people around me, to help me get here, I’m so fortunate. Just grateful.”