Long before Brock Fassnacht began studying tax law and budgeting, he taught himself the basics of the golf swing.
“My dad (Bill Fassnacht) gave me plastic clubs when I was really young and that’s kind of how I started swinging,” Fassnacht said. “Then I was playing on and off up until high school when I kind of quit baseball and started taking [golf] seriously my freshman and sophomore year.”
Fassnacht, born and raised in Lititz, Pa. always enjoyed playing sports growing up. For a time, baseball and basketball demanded that he focus his attention away from golf, but unlimited access to Overlook Golf Club for members of Warwick High School’s golf team attracted him.
“We could play [Overlook] whenever we wanted over the summer,” the 2019 Warwick High School graduate said. “That was always nice and kind of got me back into it. It allowed me a place to get better.”
As the number of rounds at Overlook rose, so did Fassnacht’s junior golf success. Summers spent playing on the Philadelphia Junior Tour and Lancaster County Junior Golf Tour were frequent, and increased his competition experience.
“Probably the highlight of my career was my junior year [when I won] the league championship and regional championship in high school.” Fassnacht said.
In 2017, that same year, he was crowned Lancaster Lebanon League Player of the Year.
In 2018, Fassnacht committed to West Chester University to play golf.
“I reached out to coach Hammond and I met him down here at Penn Oaks where we practice,” Fassnacht, a math finance major, said. “He saw me play over the summer in the [Pennsylvania Golf Association Junior Boys’ Championship] at Hershey [Country Club]. I liked [West Chester University]. It’s a big school with very good athletics.”
Fassnacht has consistently improved throughout his college career. Most recently, in the spring 2022 season, he ended the semester with a 74.9 stroke average and two top five finishes.
“I finished [well] in a lot of tournaments,” Fassnacht said. “My scoring average has gone down, and I think I’m overall a better player. I am a little more consistent now, but still looking for that win. Going off last year, I want to build off how my short game was. Putting was my strength and was kind of the reason I was very consistent but I need to get better with my irons. My mid to high irons like my 8 to 4 iron need to be more consistent if I want to shoot better scores.”
During his final season, Fassnacht is looking to capitalize on some opportunities for team records. In the fall, he carded six eagles giving him the season record that was previously held by Andrew Patterson. Patterson made five during the 2016–17 season. Now, Fassnacht is focused on capturing the record for most career eagles by a player on WCU’s team. Currently at nine, he stands four back from Patterson’s record of 13 he set during his career which lasted 2014–17.
Additionally, Fassnacht is tied with Connor Lefever (2012–13) for low round at 66.
Since the fall 2022 semester, Fassnacht has served as a team captain.
“He is definitely a good leader on and off the course,” second year teammate Connor Strine said. “[He] recognizes those moments where maybe the vibes are low [or] maybe we played bad and then he will kind of bring us all together and make sure that we have some fun and kind of get back on track off the course to help us on the course.”
“I think Brock is very committed to our team and the success that we both want,” third year teammate and co-captain Jacob Sokalsky said.
Following graduation in May 2023, Fassnacht hopes to continue to make golf a big part of his life by joining a club and playing in regional tournaments as time allows.
The offseason has allowed him to reflect on playing golf in college and realizing what he maybe didn’t know as a freshman.
“I feel like [a big part is] finding a good balance between golf and all the other things you have going on, especially when you are just starting out,” Fassnacht said. “I think I kind of struggled a little bit my freshman year starting out just because everything is so new. The practice facilities are new [and] you’ve got to compete to earn your spot.”
Some of Fassnacht’s favorite memories of his college career include traveling with teammates, competing on the road and spending time with the team after rounds of competition
John T. Iswalt, Men’s Golf Correspondent, is a senior media and culture major with a digital marketing minor.