At just 27 years old, Logan Perkins is working hard to make a name for himself in the professional golfing world. Perkins was born in Louisiana; his family moved to Locust Grove when he was a toddler. He grew up in Henry County and attended Strong Rock Christian School. An avid baseball player, he changed his sport of choice in middle school.

“I started playing at the former Eagles Brook Country Club with friends who had grown up around golf their entire lives,” Perkins said. He joined Strong Rock’s golf program and, at the end of his freshman year, shot a 92. “That’s about as bad as it gets,” Perkins said with a laugh. “I’ve always been pretty competitive, so when I saw my friends beating me, I didn’t like it.” Determined to improve, he took lessons with Willy Smith, a professional golf instructor at Eagles Brook. “I put everything I had into getting good at golf.” And he did, winning championships and setting records. In 2016, he shot a 68 to win the Georgia High School Association State Championship. At graduation the following year, he ranked 6th in the entire state.

Perkins continued to set golf records throughout his years at West Virginia University while pursuing a degree in business and economics. His wins gave him the confidence to go pro after college. Earning a PGA Tour card is one of the most demanding tasks in all of professional sports. Even the best players must have the stamina to work through countless qualifying tournaments, knowing that their place could be secured or missed by just one swing. And the odds are against them. Only one of every 5,000 talented junior golfers achieves this elite status.

Though Perkins has earned conditional status on the PGA Tour Americas for the past three years and has finished in the top 15 each year, he had not yet ranked high enough to earn any starts. “I’ve missed many by one shot,” he said, explaining that players basically have one opportunity per year to earn their PGA spot. However, Perkins recently finished first place in the qualifying tournament for the Hotel Planner Tour, the second-largest golf tour in Europe. He earned seven guaranteed starts in Barcelona, Spain, that began on May 14. “Although only seven events are guaranteed, I have the opportunity to gain entry into all of the remaining events this season by playing well and climbing up the yearly standings,” Perkins explained. Holding a card with guaranteed starts is a huge stepping stone because it allows the professional golfer to play consecutive weeks in a row and shape their game on the big stage. “I know I belong with the best of the best, and I can’t wait for the opportunity to prove that to myself and others,” he said.

Between tournaments, Perkins’ days are filled with hitting hundreds of balls at the range and chipping green, training at the gym and receiving physical therapy, all to improve his swing. “I don’t take many days off,” he said. Life is not exclusively about golf, though. He plans to marry his fiancée, Karly Cullen, in April 2027.

Perkins is backed by a strong network of sponsors and supporters in Henry County, including Tony Caporale, who speaks highly of Perkins’ commitment to the game. “Logan has no quit in him. Golf knocks many people down, but he has a great attitude about getting so close so many times. I can see that he’s going to have that breakthrough moment at any time.”

Perkins says he’s learned a lot about himself through golf. “Golf is a long grind with no guarantees. Every week, I’m trying to figure out what I can do better. It’s like building with LEGO blocks, one brick at a time. You figure out what works and take off what doesn’t.”

By Kari Apted