The strong year continues for Evan Nachtigall, golfing out of the Shilo Country Club, as his strong play has earned him accolades, and a scholarship from Golf Manitoba.
First tee off
Going back to the beginning, Nachtigall recalls his entry into the sport. "I would have been fairly young," he says with a smirk. "My grandpa would have took me out to the nine hole par 3 course, Harbour View is what it's called, and we'd go out maybe a couple times a week in the summer time. We'd hit range balls, get on the course, and that's how I fell in love with the game. From there, I graduated from the par 3 course to getting to play Transcona Golf Course once a month. For me, getting to play that place felt like playing Augusta, you could say. That's how it all started for me."
Better late than never
Ever since he can remember, Nachtigall says he's been competitive, and that trait has followed him through many sports. "I never played competitive golf until after high school, actually, which is considered a really, really late start for competitive golf. Kids now a day, parents are throwing them in tournaments when they are nine, ten, or eleven years old. There was really no college recruiting for me, I was kind of late to the boat for that. I grew up an avid hockey player, and I was pretty good, I played the higher levels, but I eventually fell out of love with it. Transitioned to football and basketball in high school, and I was good enough I could have gone some where, but I didn't have the love for it. I ended up taking a gap year after high school, then with COVID, I lost my NCAA golf eligibility, and I never ended up going to play anywhere. I just played at home with buddies, people may know the name Drew Jones, he's an older buddy of mine, he's a school teacher in Brandon, and I consider him like a big brother and a mentor."
A natural athlete
Throughout his golf career, Nachtigall says his skillset has gronw naturally, and he feels like he started in a good place. "So I would consider myself as a natural talent, so to the average golfer, I've always been good. But, to a competitive golfer, I wouldn't have been that good. When I first started thinking about going into tournaments, I was a three or four handicap. The first year of tournaments, I didn't really do much, I kind of struggled. Everyone gets those tournament nerves, and I played pretty poorly."
Turning it around
He's not playing poorly any longer, and has really turned the corner, especially this year where he has a couple of career highlights. "I guess the biggest one that stands out to me is winning the Men's Amateur at Southwood this year. It was something that I knew I could get done. I had a really poor performance in 2024 when it was at Rossmere, and that really left a sour taste in my mouth. I wasn't really prepared mentally and physically with my swing last year, and I was really disappointed in myself for that. So I made a goal throughout the winter, wanting to get bigger, faster, stronger, and I started working with a swing coach, that really helped me out heading into summer. I was way more prepared for this year, and to get it done at Southwood, it means a lot. Hard work finally pays off. In this sport, you play every week or every few weeks, and there is a lot of losers, and only one winner, so to get the win at a tournament that actually means something, that's special to me."
Scholarship winner
Nachtigall was recently named a scholarship winner from Golf Manitoba, the Ed Dearden Memorial Scholarship. "I'm obviously super grateful for the Dearden family and friends who put this award together for me. The $1500 is going to help me a lot. I'm in my last semester at Brandon University, so as I clean up my courses, I have three left, and that will help me a lot. I'm super thankful for the family, and for Golf Manitoba who puts this all together for university students and hook them up with some much needed money."
The Future
There's a few different options for Nachtigall, and it's looking like golf may be his calling, but he's prepared for anything. "In the next little bit here, school will be wrapping up, and my goal is after Christmas, if I can gather enough funds here, I'm going to head down south for the winter. I'll see what happens, play some mini-tour stuff, if I can make it down there. If not, I'll continue my amateur career, find a job in the work force, it helps that I'm flexible, I'm good at a lot of things, I'm a people person, so if I can find a career that's working with people, helping them do what they need to do, I'll be happy. Whether it's trying to play pro golf here for the next year or two, or keeping my amateur status and excelling at that, I'm find with whatever happens. I'm just flying by the seat of my pants, wherever golf takes me, I'll be smiling."