When discussing player determination in the realm of golf, the name Christian Heavens is most likely to be included. Christian keeps his nose to the grindstone and his eye on the ball in all aspects of his life as a pro golfer.
Born in St. Louis, MO, he has no shame in letting everyone he knows that “Golf saved my life.” It was his grandfather, Levester Heavens, who introduced him to the game, putting a plastic golf club in his hand as a baby, and became his mentor.
“My father wasn’t around early on in life, so my grandfather was the patriarch and father figure for me early on. My grandfather has told me over the years that I was born to play golf,” shared Christian. “He also told me over and over again that golf is a sport that is supposed to be fun. I’ve taken that to heart over the years, which is why I love the game,” recounted Christian in a GolfChannel interview.
As a youth, learning the game kept him away from the lure of the streets and fueled his confidence and belief that his life ambitions were limitless. As a teen attending Belleville East High School in Fairview Heights—a well-known rough suburb East of St. Louis—he knew right from wrong and did not bow to peer pressure. Instead, became a two-time team Most Valuable Player for the Lancers while twice earning All-Conference accolades.
“Growing up in East St. Louis, the reputation is that most of us would be either dead or in jail by the age of 25,” said Christian. “I have friends and family members that are in jail, or that were killed.” Christian escaped street life and continued to make his family and his grandfather, who passed in 2018, proud.
An alumnus of the First Tee of Greater St. Lous, Christian represented the organization at the 2006 First Tee Open at Pebble Beach and in 2010 competed in the U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay. His outstanding academic and golfing skills earned him a First Tee Scholars scholarship to Georgetown College in Kentucky, where he captured the All-American Inaugural Gimmie Golf Professional Invitational in 2018.
A two-time, first-team All-Conference member of the Mid-South Conference, as a junior Christian won first place in the final individual standings at the MSC Championships. For his efforts, he was named MSC Golfer of the Year and went on to earn third-team NAIA All-America honors. In each of his final three seasons at Georgetown, he finished in the top 12 of the MSC Championships.
Following a standout collegiate career, Christian made his mark professionally as a member of the PGA Tour Canada in 2012. The stealth player recorded his first two victories on the Florida Professional Golf Tour that same year and went on to compete on the Golf Channel’s Big Break, ABC’s Season 2 of Holey Moley, the Latin America Tour, and on Florida professional tours.
Christian took a brief hiatus from golf several years ago. “Physical and mental health forced me to take a break from golf in 2019, where I went to teach at Topgolf and be an assistant coach at D2 Mckendree college. Now that I am stronger and playing golf pain-free, I quit my job in October to give this a full go again. The game is good and I am showing signs of my old self and improvement. I am hoping to play in the John shippen and take advantage of the many opportunities presented to minority golfers today.”
His tenure in the sport reflects a career-low round of 61, earned in a Florida pro golf tour event, and he’s accomplished 25 tournament victories, including the St. Louis Publix Open this past May. While playing full-time on the Advocates Pro Golf Association Tour Christian has been offsetting tournament expenses by selling logo spots on his chest, golf bag, and collar, recently gaining sponsorship from Ascension, one of the largest private healthcare systems in the USA.
The 33-year-old bachelor is good friends with fellow pro golfer Harold Varner III. “I can’t tell you how much I admire his mental game and self-belief,” says Christian. “Tiger is my most admired golfer, but I really look up to Teddy Rhodes and Charlie Sifford, the things they endured and went through to get better are truly admirable.”
Christian gets in practice at his home course, Stonewolf GC in Fairview Heights, Illinois “I’m competitive. I like to be active and try new things.” While he continues to focus on developing his skills in golf, this CEO of Tour Line Golf LLC and Heavens Golf seeks to make a positive impact in the world outside of the ropes and is busy writing a fictional book loosely based on his life and golf experience.
