Ark Valley News - Burks signs to play golf at Kansas City school

Logan Burks (center) prepares to sign a letter of intent to play golf next year at Avila University in Kansas City, Mo. Joining him at the table are his father, Mark Burks, and mother, Jana Burks. Standing are VCHS golf coach Mike McCormick and Logan's grandmother, Wilma Hunt.

Burks signs to play golf at Kansas City school
By Randy Fisher
Last Updated: February 19, 2015

In buying real estate, some say the most important thing to consider is location. For Logan Burks, location was an important factor in deciding where he would play golf next year. He signed a letter of intent Feb. 13 to play at Avila University in Kansas City, Mo., a place that offers a lot with its location.

In looking for a small school, Burks also considered Southwestern, Sterling and Ottawa. In addition to liking the Kansas City area, the location of the Avila campus set it apart from the others.

"I think what brought me the most was the amount of golf and opportunities I would have," he said. "For some of the other schools, it was a 20-minute drive just to a golf course, and they only had one golf course. For me, there are 10 golf courses within a five-minute drive of each other."

Avila University, known as Avila College from 1963 to 2002, has just under 2,000 students. VCHS golf coach Mike McCormick believes Avila and Burks will be a good fit.

"I do know that they get to travel a lot and play a lot of really nice courses," McCormick said of Avila. "The Kansas City area is really competitive with some really competitive golf courses."

Logan's father is humbled by what his son has accomplished.

"I feel honored to have my son be able to play golf, and the commitment that he's had over the years for golf has paid off for him," Mark Burks said. "I'm very proud of him. I can't wait to see what his future holds."

McCormick, too, is understandably proud.

"You always feel pride," McCormick said. "It's always special to see one of your kids succeed and go on to play at the next level."

Burks plans to major in business at Avila. During and since his campus visit, he has learned a lot more about the golf program, which was new in 2010.

"I met with the athletic director, and she told me more about Avila and such," he said. "They recently hired a new coach, who has written three books and knows a lot about golf. He said I have a lot of potential and I can do great things at Avila."