Andrew Beckler’s golf journey began as a toddler swinging his first toy, a golf club he called “gocker.” Born and raised in Topeka, Beckler’s love for the game was nurtured by his father and the fairways of Topeka Country Club and Western Hills.
“My dad taught me the fundamentals that I still practice to this day,” Beckler says. “He also used golf to teach me valuable lessons about life.”
Beckler’s parents knew early on that he had a knack for golf, which he proved through the early years, competing and finding success in junior golf. He won numerous titles across the state and continued to have success in high school at Washburn Rural. College, however, proved to be Beckler’s first major hurdle.
“Balancing the work load and school work at Kansas State was too much for me,” Beckler recalls. “I was working harder than I ever had at golf and school, but I was getting worse.”
Beckler took a mulligan; he transferred back home to Topeka and Washburn University to revive his game and his dream of playing professionally.
“I went from never winning a college tournament to winning five of 10 tournaments and winning the Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award.”
Beckler isn’t the first Topeka golfer to hit the pro tour. 2019 U.S. Open champion, Gary Woodland, has been a source of inspiration for Beckler and his golf game. The two Topeka natives connected when Andrew secured a spot in the U.S. Open in 2022.
“We share a deep love for our hometown, a place that instilled in us a strong work ethic, a resilient spirit, and a commitment to spreading kindness wherever we go. Every time we hear Topeka, Kansas announced on the tee, it sends shivers down our spines.”
Beckler offers this advice to those taking their golf game seriously: develop a solid short game and consistent putting. He shared his top three putting tips:
1 - Manage expectations - Putting is hard. You can hit great putts that miss and you can hit bad putts that go in; that’s golf! At 30 feet, PGA tour players are just as likely to three putt as they are to one putt. These guys are the best in the world and practice their putting every day! If you three putt or miss a short putt, don’t be hard on yourself. Go make the next one.
2 - Focus on speed - Most players I see who struggle with putting do not struggle with hitting it on their line, but with hitting putts with the correct speed. When you have long putts, your goal should be to get it to a place where you can tap it in: two feet or closer. A lot of times three putts are caused by poor speed on the first putt.
3 - Now the fun part, be an athlete! When you crumple up a piece of paper and throw it at the trash can, you shoot like Steph Curry. You saw the target and you let your subconscious take over. Your body knows what to do, you just have to allow it to. The way I get into this flow state is through visualization; I imagine the ball rolling into the hole on the line I have determined at the rate and speed I am intending.
Beckler started a series called “Beverage with Beckler,” where he recaps every tournament round. You can follow along @bigbeckler (IG), @BecklerTracker (X), and BeverageWithBeckler.com.