Ask just about any golfer to name the world’s greatest courses and almost certainly Pebble Beach in California will be on the list. Nestled next to the Pacific Ocean with mild mid-day temperatures around 70 degrees, it’s a paradise — not just for golfers, but for anyone fortunate enough to visit.
Weatherford High School senior Carter Bruton is one of those fortunate people. The Kangaroo golfer recently competed in the Pure Insurance Championship, a part of the nationwide First Tee program.
Bruton is one of only 80 junior golfers (40 boys/40 girls) chosen from across the nation to participate in the elite event. Each junior golfer is paired with a professional to play both Pebble Beach Golf Links and neighboring Spyglass Golf Course in a tournament.
“Pebble Beach is the nicest course I’ve ever seen in my life. Every hole had a perfect view,” Bruton said. “At Spyglass we had a 7 a.m. tee time and the sun rose at 6:45, and the first few holes were all on the water. It was such a beautiful experience.”
Bruton was paired with Australian golfer Stephen Allan. They posted an overall score of 7-under-par, which included 2 under at Spyglass and 5 under at Pebble Beach.
“We missed the cut for the final round by a stroke, but it was still a fantastic experience,” Bruton said. “His accent was pretty cool.
“He said Melbourne Country Club (in Australia) is the best golf course in the world, but he really loved Pebble Beach. He said it is probably the nicest place they play on the senior tour,” Brtuton said.
Bruton has made plenty of low scores in his golfing career, but he said making a birdie on one of the world’s most renowned courses is something he’ll never forget.
“I thought dang, I just birdied a hole Scotty Scheffler’s gonna birdie — and has birdied,” he said. “I haven’t ever played on anything like Pebble Beach before. I played Colonial once and it was really nice, Trinity Forest (Dallas) is super nice and so is PGA Frisco — and hard. I played there about three years ago in December; it was cold and rainy.
“But nothing compares to everything Pebble Beach has to offer,” he said.
While golfing at Pebble Beach was the dream, Bruton had never been to California before, so he and his family took advantage of the opportunity to take in some sights.
“We drove up Highway 1 and visited Big Sur,” he said. “We flew in a few days early and went to San Francisco. We saw Alcatraz, and those Redwoods are so big.
“I love that part of the country. It’s so scenic and the weather is absolutely incredible,” he said.
Bruton, 17, has been a part of First Tee for about 10 years, since his dad enrolled him. He is now one of the program’s coaches at Squaw Creek Golf Course in Willow Park.
To earn his spot in this prestigious tournament he had to write an essay; his scores were taken into consideration; and he had a recommendation letter.
“I attribute a lot of my success to First Tee,” Bruton said. “Coach Chuck Decker (his coach in the program) taught me so much.
“I’ll probably be a coach again next year for sure. I love it.”
Bruton is the second Parker County golfer in less than five years to be chosen for this tournament. Aledo’s Braylon Mahanay participated in it in 2022.
“I played with Braylon a few years ago. He’s a really good golfer,” Bruton said. “It’s pretty cool to be in such company.”
Bruton began playing golf alongside his father, Chad Bruton, a former Weatherford Kangaroos quarterback who picked up the game while in college at Tarleton State.
“I was playing with him on the weekends and he put me in First Tee. I am so glad that he did,” Bruton said.
His younger brother, Connor, a sophomore at WHS, has also now started playing and is part of the Kangaroos program.
“His swing’s always been really good, but he always liked basketball,” Bruton said. “But he’s a pretty good golfer.”
An even younger brother, sixth-grader Cooper, has yet to take up the game.
“He’s always loved playing soccer,” Bruton said, adding with a chuckle, “But there’s still plenty of time.”
As for himself, he tried other sports such as football, track and basketball in junior high, but turned to focusing on golf in high school.
“I really enjoyed playing basketball, and I almost kept playing,” he said. “But I think I made a smart choice.”
Bruton has enjoyed great success for the Kangaroos. He’s advanced to regionals each of the past two seasons, coming within a stroke of reaching state last season.
He’s also a three-time all-district selection, twice on the first team. Last season he was a second team all-region choice.
“I missed a 25-foot eagle putt on 18 to go into a playoff for state,” he said.
Perhaps most impressive is his performance last season came after he recovered from a back injury (stress fracture) in late 2025. He returned to play right before the District 3-6A Tournament.
In addition to his play for Weatherford, Bruton has done very well in summer competitions such as the American Junior Golf Association, Texas Junior Golf Tour and the Northern Texas PGA Junior Tour. He’s posted numerous top-five finishes.
This past summer he finished third in the 15-18 age group in the historic Texas-Oklahoma Junior Tournament, one of the nation’s largest events.
His age group included about 200 players.
Bruton wants to play in college and has been in contact with several schools. He plans to study either business or kinesiology.
“My plan is to go pro or become a golf coach,” he said. “If I could learn how muscles move and such, it would help me with being a coach.”
In the meantime, though, there is some unfinished business in his high school career, he said.
“I’m ready to get back to regionals and to state,” he said. “I’ve had a great high school career and I’ve really enjoyed it, but I’ve got to get to state to complete it.”
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