Kansas State University Athletics
Harmeson Happy with the Switch to Golf
Jul 23, 2025 | Men's Golf, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Shea Harmeson isn't going to brandish a hockey stick on the 4th green at Colbert Hills Golf Course and yell at his ball, "Get in the hole!" and he won't grab his club and ride it like a horse in victory, but the 21-year-old junior transfer from Traverse City, Michigan, looks to provide some highlight moments as a major contributor on the Kansas State men's golf team.
Even though Harmeson started out as a stud hockey player.
"In the beginning, Happy Gilmore was always determined to be on the ice rather than the golf course," Harmeson said. "That was me as a kid. I always wanted to be playing hockey and golf was just there for the summer."
Harmeson's grandparents played hockey. His father played hockey. His uncle played hockey. At age 2, Harmeson played hockey with a mini-stick. At age 3, he was on skates. It wasn't until age 7 that he picked up a golf club for the first time.
And then something clicked.
"Hockey was always my main sport," Harmeson said. "It's been that first love I've had. Then my friends were like, 'Let's play nine holes.' Then I started taking golf lessons with them and seemed to excel a little bit more. I started to really take golf seriously after that."
It wasn't hard to find Harmeson on the hockey rink or golf course. He was in the middle of it all. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound forward with a deadly left-handed shot, served as team captain for the golf and hockey teams at Traverse City Central High School, and he helped guide the Trojans to conference championships in both sports. He was also named First Team All-Conference in 2021 and 2022.
Staying close to his tight-knit family, Harmeson chose to attend Saginaw Valley State — 160 miles south of Traverse City. He played in 29 games with the Saginaw Valley State hockey team while playing only a part of two seasons, and he was a quarterfinalist in the 113th Michigan Amateur Golf Championship tournament.
"I realized golf was something I could keep doing," he said, "whereas hockey was that last-year hurrah."
Harmeson, the top golfer at Saginaw Valley State, believed golf could ultimately take him places.
When Harmeson entered the transfer portal in May, he discovered golf could take him straight to Manhattan, Kansas.
"I had a couple wins, and (associate head coach) Cullen Carstens loved that I was able to get the job done and get the win," Harmeson said. "He loved that I was more athletic and that I'd played hockey and wasn't just a one-sport pony. He talked a lot about the opportunity and that the Big 12 is a great conference in general and that playing against those guys like Oklahoma State and Arizona State is something you can't get where I was."
Harmeson was familiar with the K-State brand. He grew up a Michigan State fan. And a certain K-State/Michigan State battle in the 2023 NCAA Tournament still sticks with him.
"Honestly the first thought about K-State was when it beat Michigan State in the Sweet 16," he said. "That was my first thought. I didn't hold that against K-State. It still hurts, but I'm willing to move past it."
Harmeson, who is set to arrive in Manhattan in August, enjoyed his first meeting with head coach Grant Robbins during his official visit in May.
"He's determined to make us better as people and players," Harmeson said. "It's not just about playing good at tournaments, but growing as a player, and they're trying to set us up to play golf after college as well. He seems like a genuine guy. It's not going to be sugar-coated. He's going to say what you need to hear."
Harmeson hasn't yet met any of his K-State teammates in person, and hasn't yet played a practice round at Colbert Hills, but he brings strengths to the table that should bode well for the Wildcats.
"I'm proud of my ability to get off the tee," he said. "I'm pretty confident driving the ball and getting myself into position where I can let the other clubs do the work and score. My mental game is very strong. A lot of golfers get down on themselves pretty well, but I'm pretty cool and even all the time.
"I don't overreact to bad shots."
But he has been guilty of emulating Happy Gilmore — just not during competition.
"The way he ran into the drive in the movie to hit those long drives, it's really hard," Harmeson said. "I've tried it. I used to do it as a kid. I thought it was awesome. The result is either going to be really good or really bad. You're either not going to make good contact and the ball isn't going to go anywhere, or you're going to hit the ball really, really far."
Happy Gilmore 2 is scheduled to release on Friday on Netflix.
"I plan on watching it," Harmeson said. "I'm excited to see it."
Much has changed since Happy Gilmore first hit theaters in 1996.
Harmeson, the hockey-player-turned-golfer, still chuckles over the film, and the memories.
"The fight with Bob Barker is my favorite," he said. "When I think of Happy Gilmore, that's the scene that sticks out. It really encompasses him as a hockey player, being a goon and the enforcer, and taking his talents to the golf course."
Golf club in hand, it won't be long before Harmeson takes his talents to the Little Apple.
He has found his happy place.
Shea Harmeson isn't going to brandish a hockey stick on the 4th green at Colbert Hills Golf Course and yell at his ball, "Get in the hole!" and he won't grab his club and ride it like a horse in victory, but the 21-year-old junior transfer from Traverse City, Michigan, looks to provide some highlight moments as a major contributor on the Kansas State men's golf team.
Even though Harmeson started out as a stud hockey player.
"In the beginning, Happy Gilmore was always determined to be on the ice rather than the golf course," Harmeson said. "That was me as a kid. I always wanted to be playing hockey and golf was just there for the summer."
Harmeson's grandparents played hockey. His father played hockey. His uncle played hockey. At age 2, Harmeson played hockey with a mini-stick. At age 3, he was on skates. It wasn't until age 7 that he picked up a golf club for the first time.
And then something clicked.
"Hockey was always my main sport," Harmeson said. "It's been that first love I've had. Then my friends were like, 'Let's play nine holes.' Then I started taking golf lessons with them and seemed to excel a little bit more. I started to really take golf seriously after that."
It wasn't hard to find Harmeson on the hockey rink or golf course. He was in the middle of it all. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound forward with a deadly left-handed shot, served as team captain for the golf and hockey teams at Traverse City Central High School, and he helped guide the Trojans to conference championships in both sports. He was also named First Team All-Conference in 2021 and 2022.
Staying close to his tight-knit family, Harmeson chose to attend Saginaw Valley State — 160 miles south of Traverse City. He played in 29 games with the Saginaw Valley State hockey team while playing only a part of two seasons, and he was a quarterfinalist in the 113th Michigan Amateur Golf Championship tournament.
"I realized golf was something I could keep doing," he said, "whereas hockey was that last-year hurrah."
Harmeson, the top golfer at Saginaw Valley State, believed golf could ultimately take him places.
When Harmeson entered the transfer portal in May, he discovered golf could take him straight to Manhattan, Kansas.
"I had a couple wins, and (associate head coach) Cullen Carstens loved that I was able to get the job done and get the win," Harmeson said. "He loved that I was more athletic and that I'd played hockey and wasn't just a one-sport pony. He talked a lot about the opportunity and that the Big 12 is a great conference in general and that playing against those guys like Oklahoma State and Arizona State is something you can't get where I was."
Harmeson was familiar with the K-State brand. He grew up a Michigan State fan. And a certain K-State/Michigan State battle in the 2023 NCAA Tournament still sticks with him.
"Honestly the first thought about K-State was when it beat Michigan State in the Sweet 16," he said. "That was my first thought. I didn't hold that against K-State. It still hurts, but I'm willing to move past it."
Harmeson, who is set to arrive in Manhattan in August, enjoyed his first meeting with head coach Grant Robbins during his official visit in May.
"He's determined to make us better as people and players," Harmeson said. "It's not just about playing good at tournaments, but growing as a player, and they're trying to set us up to play golf after college as well. He seems like a genuine guy. It's not going to be sugar-coated. He's going to say what you need to hear."
Harmeson hasn't yet met any of his K-State teammates in person, and hasn't yet played a practice round at Colbert Hills, but he brings strengths to the table that should bode well for the Wildcats.
"I'm proud of my ability to get off the tee," he said. "I'm pretty confident driving the ball and getting myself into position where I can let the other clubs do the work and score. My mental game is very strong. A lot of golfers get down on themselves pretty well, but I'm pretty cool and even all the time.
"I don't overreact to bad shots."
But he has been guilty of emulating Happy Gilmore — just not during competition.
"The way he ran into the drive in the movie to hit those long drives, it's really hard," Harmeson said. "I've tried it. I used to do it as a kid. I thought it was awesome. The result is either going to be really good or really bad. You're either not going to make good contact and the ball isn't going to go anywhere, or you're going to hit the ball really, really far."
Happy Gilmore 2 is scheduled to release on Friday on Netflix.
"I plan on watching it," Harmeson said. "I'm excited to see it."
Much has changed since Happy Gilmore first hit theaters in 1996.
Harmeson, the hockey-player-turned-golfer, still chuckles over the film, and the memories.
"The fight with Bob Barker is my favorite," he said. "When I think of Happy Gilmore, that's the scene that sticks out. It really encompasses him as a hockey player, being a goon and the enforcer, and taking his talents to the golf course."
Golf club in hand, it won't be long before Harmeson takes his talents to the Little Apple.
He has found his happy place.
K-State Men's Basketball | Cinematic Recap vs Creighton
Tuesday, December 16
K-State Men's Basketball | Postgame Highlights at Creighton
Sunday, December 14
K-State Men's Basketball | Postgame Press Conference at Creighton
Saturday, December 13
K-State Athletics | Ask the A.D. with Gene Taylor - Dec. 12, 2025
Friday, December 12