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Liam Leahy, a Grade 12 student at the Edge School, will train at the Core Junior Golf Academy in Orlando, Fla., this fall. Leahy started at the Edge School when he was in Grade Six and previously played with the school's hockey team.

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Edge golfer to train in Florida

Liam Leahy will get the chance to golf with the best in the business when he graduates from the Edge School at the end of the month.

The 18-year-old, who was born and raised in Calgary, is attending the Core Junior Golf Academy in Orlando, Florida starting in September.

Leahy was a multi-sport athlete, growing up, having played hockey, basketball and badminton. He attended middle school at Ecole St. Cecilia in Calgary before transferring to the Edge School in Grade 6.

His family heard about the school through a neighbour who was enrolled in the hockey program and the Leahys said Edge was a perfect fit for both of their sons. Leahy started out playing with the school’s hockey team before turning his full attention to golf three years later.

“I’ve been golfing since I was very little, but it’s been my No. 1 sport since Grade 9,” he said. “I get to be outdoors all day, which is really fun, and I like being a part of a solo sport. If I play bad, I don’t have anyone else to blame but myself.”

Leahy made the transition to golf after attending a handful of competitive tournaments with a friend the summer between grades 8 and 9.

He was inspired to attend the Core Academy by an Edge alumni member and last year, he attended a five-month camp at the academy.

“The camp was excellent,” he said. “I had a lot of fun. It was golf all day. I met a lot of people from around the world, the coaching was excellent and it gave me an opportunity to go to school.”

Leahy completed the five-month camp and was able to take classes online in order to graduate from the Edge School this year.

He is returning to Orlando in September as part of the academy’s post-grad program, which will give him an opportunity to work with Sean Foley.

Foley is a Canadian-born instructor who has previously worked with PGA professionals like Hunter Mahan and Stephen Ames. He’s also worked with Tiger Woods in recent years, who is Leahy’s idol.

Leahy will spend the equivalent of a university semester at the Core Academy, and he hopes that the training will translate into a scholarship to play for a Division I university team in the U.S. He previously fielded offers from Division II teams, but decided to aim higher. He said that having attended the camp before has quelled his nerves about moving to a new country.

“(Previously attending the camp) definitely eases the transition,” he said. “With the school and the post-grad program, we get to visit a lot of universities and experience life as a student in the golf program. Obviously, the golf is excellent and I’m looking forward to expanding my options for post-secondary education and meeting new people.”