Tolland's Banning is becoming an ace
Dec. 7—When Sean Sylvester arrived at his first practice as coach of the Northwest Catholic High boys golf team in August, an early Christmas present was waiting for him.
"Before the season I had heard that we had a guy coming in from Kingswood-Oxford who was a really good soccer player but we were hoping would be swayed to the golf program," Sylvester said. "The minute I set foot on the driving range and saw him, I knew he was something special."
Cole Banning made a strong first impression on his teammates and coach with the Lions. By the end of his junior season, the Tolland resident's impact was felt state wide.
Banning captured the Central Connecticut Conference championship in a four-way playoff then blew away the competition at the CIAC Division II state championship with a six-stroke victory. He capped his postseason with a second-place showing in the New England championship.
"During most of the regular season I felt I was on and off, I had some good rounds and then some that weren't so great," Banning said. "But as we got towards the conference championship I was having some of my best rounds.
"I became more confident about my game and in trusting my shots. During the regular season I probably didn't commit to shots as much as I should have. When I made the commitment to my shots, that's when I was at my best."
Banning (5-foot-8, 160 pounds) began golfing about a decade ago as a way to bond with his father, Sean, who he says is his No. 1 supporter. He quickly fell in love with the game and would find success playing it.
In 2019, he would record not one, but two holes-in-one in a 10-day span while playing at GreatHorse Country club in Hampden, Massachusetts. The first was on July 16 on the par-3 9th hole. The second was on the par-3 15th hole on July 26.
"The ninth hole is a blind green and I was with a friend from Tolland," Banning said. "We didn't know it went in. I knew it was right on line so I had the adrenaline going. We got to the green and I looked in the hole and there it was! It was awesome.
"The second one on 15 I hit a nice wedge to about six feet past the hole and spun it back in. We went crazy. To get two holes-in-ones in 10 days, how do you explain that?"
He continued to make progress. In the summer of 2021, Banning — competing with his Torrington Country Club team — took first place at the National PGA Junior League All-Star Team Championship at the Edison Club in Rexford, New York, and then won the U-17 title played at Lyman Orchards Golf Club in Middlefield.
In all, he has played in over 100 tournaments and has close to 30 wins while competing in U.S. Kids, HJGT, and PGA Juniors.
At Northwest Catholic, he was part of a solid 1-2 punch with teammate Tanner Ostop. Sylvester said. At the end, he was at his best when it mattered the most.
In the CCC championships at Stanley Golf Club in New Britain on Oct. 20, he shot a 2-over-par 73 and survived a four-way playoff to take the crown on the third playoff hole with a six-foot putt.
"My round was pretty ugly," Banning said. "I made bogey on 17 and 18 and I didn't think I had a shot. But then I saw the leaderboard and it was a playoff and I told my dad that it would look better if I won that way. In the playoff I was really solid. I had been in a few playoffs before and never won, though this was my first in high school. I told myself that I had to go for it and I got it."
Four days later, he headed to the CIAC Division II championship at Chippanee Country Club in Bristol.
Playing in difficult weather conditions that caused a 45-minute delay in the action, he fired a 1-under-par 69 to beat runner-ups Dan Casanta and Luke Brower, both of Pomperaug, by six strokes.
"Winning under pressure in the CCC was good for me and when I went to the Division II championship I knew I was probably the favorite," Banning said. "Maybe there was pressure but I wanted to show the CCC was not a fluke. It was rainy and windy but I kept chugging along. I stayed focused on the ball and instead of going at every pin, missed in good spots. I thought par would get the job done and keeping my concentration was really a key.
"I knew I could win but I couldn't comprehend winning by that much. It took a minute to take it all in."
He then saved his best for last.
On Oct. 31, he fired a personal-record 4-under 68 to finish second at the New England Championship held at Mohegan Sun Golf Club in Baltic. He was one stroke back of Elliot Spaulding of Freeport, Maine.
"My ball striking was not as good as it had been but I had a lot of putts drop," Banning said. "I was able to hit great recovery shots. I was really proud of the round and I don't know if I could have done much better, which turned out to be one more stroke. But it was just so much fun."
Banning will spend his offseason working on getting stronger and more flexible while working on his game with his personal coach Kyle Gallo, a member of the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame.
He says there are benefits of playing his high school season in the fall, though he did miss playing soccer.
"Cole's slated to be a co-captain next year and I know that he'll be someone we can rely on," Sylvester said. "It's going to be fun to watch him next fall."
Banning would love to golf in college. While he has talked to coaches, the recruiting process has not become serious yet.
Some school may end up getting someone special.
For coverage of all sports in the JI's 18-town coverage area, plus updates on the UConn women's basketball team and head coach Geno Auriemma, follow Carl Adamec on Twitter: @CarlAdamec, Facebook: Carl Adamec, and Instagram: @CarlAdamec.
