Scholar Spotlight: Chirstian Vinas
ELMSFORD, N.Y. (February 20, 2025) — Christian Vinas has been around golf his entire life. His dad introduced him as a young kid, and he played his first round when he was around five years old. He played for his high school team and caddies, and he wants to continue to be around golf by becoming a golf course architect.
Vinas is a Long Island Caddie Scholar and part of the first class of recipients of the MGA Foundation’s new GOLFWORKS Graduate Scholarship. The freshman at the University of Central Florida is pursuing a degree in civil engineering focusing on water resources and geo-tech (soils).
“I started looking into it in high school,” explained Christian. “At the different like designers and how [courses] were being built, I thought it was cool. And I always wanted golf to be a part of my work. And I figured then build them, build golf courses.”
During his studies, Christian will learn about water resourcing, types of soils, grass, and terrains. All are important when designing or redesigning golf courses. Christian wants to gain experience through internships at engineering companies and architecture firms to gain as broad a knowledge base as he can during college.
Given his desire to become a course architect, it is not surprising that Christian has considered what courses he would want to redesign first. The first is his home course, Smithtown Landing.
“I’d love to reimagine it and maybe reroute it a bit,” added Christian. “Add some hazards. Take away from hazards because I know the course so well. I feel like it’d be to restore where I grew up playing.”
Christian also shared what course he would want to redesign outside Long Island.
He said, “I’d love to redesign Torrey Pines South Course.” When asked what he would change, he added, “Many fairway widths are the same. There should be more variety, and the pond on 18 doesn’t flow with the rest of the course. On hole 7, it can be a drivable par 4 along the cliff. Move the tee box over to the right and take out the bunker on the left side of the fairway. The lie in the rough would make for a tougher shot into the green than the current fairway bunker.”
Christian’s dad introduced him to golf when he was very young. He played his round on an executive course when he was about five years old, and he was hooked. That led to him taking the game seriously enough to play in high school, which is where he got connected with Huntington Crescent through a teammate on the Smithtown West golf team.
This summer will be his third as a caddie for Ed Smith on Huntington Crescent.
Christian added, “I just love being around golf and working with different people. I like meeting new people, and that’s a great job to do that with. Trying to network and get connections. It seemed a perfect fit for me while still being around the game I love.”
Working as a caddie for the last two years allowed Christian to be eligible for a Long Island Caddie Scholarship Fund scholarship. His caddieing experience and high school credentials made him a candidate for the recently announced GOLFWORKS Graduate Scholarship, for which he was selected as one of the first recipients.
“I mean, I really can’t thank you guys enough. I’ve been trying to work hard as a Caddie. So, I appreciate [the award]. This is something I’ve wanted for a long time. It’s great that [the MGA Foundation] wants to support other kids who want to work in golf, just like me. So, I mean, it was amazing just perceiving that.”
Christian volunteered for over 300 hours during high school. He worked with many local organizations in Smithtown including Smithtown’s Children Foundation, Paws of War, Toys for Tots, and the Smithtown Library.
“If I can help the community and help people better their lives by just giving time, it’s great. Cause if everybody did a little part here and there, It could improve the well-being of many people, and I love that idea.”