Bennett Swafford exceeded his own expectations.
After his junior year of playing golf at Franklin High School, when he earned a third all-conference honor, Swafford wasn’t getting any attention from college programs.
He decided to take matters in his own hands and joined the recruiting service NCSA (Next College Student Athlete). It worked, and he had options to join three colleges and play golf.
Swafford ended up choosing Chowan University, a Division II school located in the northeastern part of the state in Murfreesboro.
Knowing he’ll be teeing it up in DII, rather than a DIII or junior college, means a lot to Swafford.
“I feel so relieved,” he said. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I thought it would be extremely hard getting to college, but it’s been a breeze for me. I’ve been very blessed with my talents and I didn’t think I could get this far. I had lower expectations for myself than I actually got.”
Swafford didn’t get to take an official visit to Chowan because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, he still felt comfortable picking the private university, partly because it offered the most financial support.
“I was thinking about what was best for our family and the money situation,” Swafford said, adding that he might have his entire tuition covered.
Chowan golf coach Mike Ordnung called Swafford a welcome addition to the Hawks.
“Bennett is a hard worker and committed to honing his skills,” Ordnung said. “He has the potential to make an immediate impact as a starter.”
Career highlights
Felicia Nidiffer said it’s surreal Swafford is at the stage of his life where he’s graduating and headed to college. Nidiffer still remembers being at The Golf Club at Mill Creek years ago and seeing Swafford several holes over.
“There was this little kid swinging on a tee box, working on his game, preparing for his place on the team even though it would be a few years,” said Nidiffer, who coaches the FHS girls team.
Swafford took up the game around age 12, when he quit playing baseball. He became friends with Nidiffer and her husband, Mitch, and participated in summer amateur events in Tennessee with them and a group of Franklin golfers.
“He wanted to test himself against other players and get to that next level,” Nidiffer said.
Swafford burst onto the scene as a freshman, firing a 75 and a 74 in conference tournament rounds to place ninth. He was the first FHS freshman to earn all-conference golf honors in more than a decade.
Greg Partington was Swafford’s coach that year, and called it an amazing accomplishment.
“I am very proud of Bennett. He will do great at the next level and has been a pleasure to coach,” Partington said.
Ryan Raby coached Swafford the past three years.
Raby likes to say Swafford plays “Bennett Golf,” meaning he sticks to his game and doesn’t try to do too much.
“Very steady, very consistent,” Raby said. “What you see is what you get. He plays well and plays to his strength. Doesn’t try to go outside his means. If it’s a long hole, he doesn’t try to bow up and hit it a mile. He sticks with what he does.”
As a sophomore, Swafford shot a pair of 78s in the conference tournament rounds. He finished second, three strokes shy of the winner.
His junior campaign saw him record another top-10 all-conference finish, when he placed seventh after there rounds.
Swafford competed at the 2-A West Regional three times. His best finish came his sophomore year, when he placed 11th overall. However, he missed out on qualifying for state that year, and was three strokes off the mark his junior year.
Swafford didn’t get a fourth chance to compete at regional. The season came to a screeching halt March 12 when the Panthers were playing in Hayesville.
FHS played one match this spring that featured every team in the Mountain Six Conference. Swafford was the medalist and joked that should mean he’s the Player of the Year.
Even though his senior season was cut short, Swafford isn’t going to dwell on the what-ifs.
“Everything happens for a reason for me,” he said. “I don’t tend to let it get me down. It’s just high school. I knew it was gonna be over. It’s just another year. It’s not like it would’ve changed anything.”
FHS athletic director Blair King called Swafford a great kid who possesses great talent.
“His personality is infectious,” King said. “Chowan is getting a great golfer with tons of potential.”
Thank you’s
Swafford plans on studying business management. He admires CEOs of highly successful companies, and would love to run a business one day.
He gets his passion for business from his grandpa, Bob Firkins. Swafford recalls developing business ideas along his older brother, Turner, when they would visit their grandparents in Bradenton, Florida.
“We would always go down there and admire how he runs his car dealership,” Swafford said.
Swafford is the son of Joel Swafford and Kristy Smith. He thanked his family, including both sets of grandparents.
“They helped introduce me to golf, so I can’t thank them enough,” he said. “They used to take me (to the course) when I was younger.”
Swafford thanked his friends for being there for him, and coaches Partington, Raby and the Nidiffers.
Raby said Swafford will do fine if he keeps his persistence, stays calm and doesn’t lose his temper. Swafford has occasionally gotten frustrated and claimed he’s going to quit playing golf, only to return the next day like normal.
“Anybody that’s played college athletics knows there’s gonna be an adjustment period there and there’s gonna be some failure,” Raby said. “You just got to be able to handle that, stay persistent and keep on going through what you can. It’s a growing up experience and I think he’ll do fine with it.”
Nidiffer wished him well and said she can’t wait to watch him develop his game.
“He has a good future with skills and tools that will help him on his way,” she said.
When it comes to expectations at the next level, Swafford isn’t quite sure what he’ll be able to achieve.
“I just hope I play well,” he said.