“The Compelling story of an 11-year-old, capturing the attention of people nationally and internationally. Concerns over losing his parents during the Pandemic led to him launching his own line of golf apparel and NOW it’s getting GLOBAL ATTENTION, including from some Legendary Golf Pros!”
Carter Bonas, who is autistic, named his apparel Spectrum Golf, www.CartersSpectrumGolf.com because he ranks high on the Autism Spectrum Scale. He decided to showcase his apparel at the PGA Show 2022, which is one of the largest golf merchandising shows in the nation. That set off a tsunami of media coverage. His first interview was LIVE with the GOLF CHANNEL. That led to interviews with the PGA, PGA Magazine, Golf Digest, Golflife.TV and many more. https://www.cartersspectrumgolf.com/book-carter—press.html#/
The exposure also caught the attention of Legendary Golf Hall of Famer, Ernie Els, whose son also has autism. Els, who has a foundation called Els for Autism, invited Carter to
walk the course with him during the Chubb Classic Golf Tournament in Naples, Florida, which put Carter and Spectrum Golf on the World Stage.
However, there’s more to this story. Carter was unable to speak until he was 4 years old. When he finally went to school, he underwent intense bullying, to the point one day he told his teachers, “If one more bad thing happens to me today, I’m going to kill myself.” This was devastating to his mother, Dr. Thelma Tennie, a licensed therapist and life coach.
She created a nonprofit in Carter’s honor in 2015 called Healing Arts Institute of South Florida, Inc., www.HealingArtsSFL.org because it was mental health services and golf that gave him confidence to start his own company. The nonprofit offers NO COST Mental Health Services primarily to youth 22 and under, across the State of Florida and a few others, where therapists’ are also licensed.
During the pandemic, Carter began asking his parents, “Who would take care of me?” if both of them were gone. He was afraid no one would hire him because he is autistic.
That’s when he kept pressing his parents to start his own company. At the time, he had fallen in love with the game of golf, and ultimately it led to his line of golf apparel. Now he’s getting requests to customize his apparel for golf tournaments and invitations from Pro Shops to carry his line!
Carter also holds a charity golf tournament every year, attracting NFL players like Weslye Saunders, who has struggled with mental health. Carter just launched Spectrum Vitamin Water, started his own nonprofit to offer free golf lessons to children and even had a South Florida city proclaim April 25th, Carter Bonas Day.
He and his mom have been sharing their experience through speaking engagements and the media, trying to change the face of Autism, and hoping to END the Stigma of receiving Mental Health Services. #DynamicDuo
In July, Carter walked the course during the LPGA’s Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational in Midland, Michigan. He also spoke during their Inclusion Summit, called SOAR, sold Spectrum Golf apparel in the merchandising tent, and first met LPGA Golf Pro Anita Uwadia, who he now sponsors with Spectrum Golf.
Following the GLBI, Carter returned to Tiburon, Naples, FL, this time to play in the South Florida HBCU Golf Classic, alongside the Founder, William McCormick. McCormick was instrumental in having Florida Memorial University offer Carter a full scholarship at the University to play golf.
Prepared by Jacqueline Jimenez, News Producer
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