Junior Golfers

[rgs]

Had the pleasure of playing last Sat with one of our young guns-Hes 11 yrs old weights about 4st and currently plays off 16.

Not alone is a talented golfer he is a fine young man, a credit to his family and will be a great addition to this game at whatever level he manages to get to. Incidentically he is the youngest son of last yrs captain my opponent in the matchplay(other post) this evening.
His elder brother who is 14 yrs old plays off 9 and is also a fine young man-have not played with him but all members have voiced their admiration for his ability and attitude.

This fine game is in great hands if these young guns are the next generation who are tasked with keeping this game going forward.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Sadly I have a tale from the different end of the spectrum. Our juniors had a competition last Sunday afternoon. No problem with that. They were all on the tee in good time and were off before the alloted tee times finished.

However as I stood on our 3rd tee which drives over an environmental area for a rare and protected species of newt and under no circumstances are golfers allowed in, I saw a junior at least 10 foor inside said area coming down the 7th which plays back the opposite way.

He saw me and came out prett sharpish and I thought no more about it, putting down as a one off (I was a junior once so know the angst of losing a ball expecially if I am playing well in a competitive match).

However things really took a turn when I caught them up on the 15th green. I putted out before they had teed off (no idead why they were waiting as it was clear all the way to the green). Despite being on my own they blankly refused to let me through. One then hit his ball out of bounds left off the tee. He played 3 off the tee and despite being peed off about not being let through was ok with that.

This wss the same guy I had already seen in the environmental area on the 7th and he proceeded to leave his bag in the middle of the fairway and climb over the fence (another big no no in our club) and start looking for his ball.

I have to be honest the red mist came down. Once I had played the hole I went over and asked him his name and how long he had been a member and asked why he had been where he was on the 7th. He told me his ball was only just inside the hazard and got really shirty when I told him to look at the back of the card which has in bold letters that if the ball is in the confines of the area you cannot play it and are not permitted to even take a stance inside the hazard boundary.

I then asked him why he had climbed over the fence and he said you are allowed to do so. I tried pointing out that he was mistaken.

When I got back to the clubhouse all the juniors were outside the clubhouse and he was whingeing about what I said. He tried to tell me I was wrong and said something about being able to go out of bounds to collect his ball. I pointed out you can stand out of bounds to play a shot still within the course but under club rules cannot cross barbed wire fences to retrieve lost balls. He said he had done it loads of times before and wasn't going to lose a £3 ball. I suggested perhaps he shouldn't hook them off the tee.

The point was I was prepared to let it go until he started getting gobby in front of his mates. As a result I am going to report him to the committee for both errors and hope they can persuade him that the rules are there for everyone. I'm not doing it out of spite but I was brought up as a junior that if a adult member explained why you couldn't do something it was because you were normally breaking the rules and that if the captain saw you doing it would be in more trouble than if an ordinary member pointed it out.

It seems that the juniors today are a different breed. Its a shame that we have some idiots like him (his 4 ball were quite badly behaved etiqutte wise throughout, including running on greens, shouting to groups in front and generally playing slowly) because we have a number of really talented juniors who could be destined for good things.

Rant over.

 

[USER1999]

In the main I have been very impressed with our juniors. Most are well spoken, polite, well versed in etiquet, and generally competent golfers.

They do have a tendancy to play slowly, but I am sure they are copying what they see on TV. They are also all encouraged (in their lessons) to have ludicrously long preshot routines, which again seems to be the way of the world these days.

My main issue is that if you go out after a junior comp, there do seem to be a large number of drinks cans and bottles thrown into the bushes. I have not seen them do this, and so could be wrong, but it does seem more prevalent. Kids don't seem to have the same views on littering as I did and still do.

 

[theeaglehunter]

It is a shame about your experience with junior golfers homer, at my club it is the exact opposite. Everyone is polite courteous and respectful towards elder members and as such there is no age group divide within the club house everyone greets one another openly, which creates a really friendly atmosphere. Plus the all round etiquette of the juniors is often perceived to be better than some adult groups.

As for your eleven year old playing off of 16 (not trying to out do you as such, it is just what I encountered last Sunday) I was partnered with a 10 year old who plays off of 14, and during that round went round in 12 over par. He is quite phenomenal. On most of the par 3s I was hitting an iron into he was hitting his driver or 3 wood, yet he was still able to get inside me, he judged the run of the ball almost perfectly. I was speaking to his dad who was walking round with him (complete with gps system to inform him of how far to go, and wiping his clubs and giving him a drink after each shot etc- proper caddy like) and he said that he (the son) had finished in the top 3 or 4 of the wee wonders championship and was going to be part of the Faldo series having already been watched by Faldo himself as an 8 year old or something. It turns out as a result of this he is practicing 4 times a week on the range/ practice green and it is clear the dad is proud as punch. He was a pretty nice kid as well to be honest. The one thing I found funny though was his tendency to talk to his ball clearly copying what he has seen on tv "sit down" "get up- GET UP" etc. I had to laugh though at the mere fact I was getting taught a lesson by a 10 year old, what other sport would that happen in.

 

[haplesshacker]

Generally most sports (with the possible exception of football) teaches kids, manners, politeness, ettiqute, rules, self policing, and respest for others of all ages. This is why my son will play a sport to a reasonable level as I believe that it will teach useful 'life skills' that will put him in good stead later in life.

I just hope that he doesn't become one of Homers 'kids'. (As described by Homer).

 

[clubchamp07]

All it takes is 1 bad apple to spoil the basket.

I have to defend the Juniors here. I find most of our kids are very good, some of them will push the boundries but most know what is expected of them.
Juniors are the future of our clubs so keep them interested and please homer forget about that letter. Always remember these kids grow up and one day may be bigger than you.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

CC07

Don't get me wrong. In general our juniors are a credit to the club and have had fantastic reports from opposing sides both home and away for their playing ability and sportsmanship.

What irked me (and still does) is that this one junior in particular thought the rules don't apply to him and that he can do what he wanted. That and he was then prepared toargue the toss in front of his mates to try and make me look stupid (not a good idea with me as I can become quite beligerent - better now I no longer drink though!)

Having tried to explain politely (and I was polite in tone and manner) what I had seen and why it was wrong and to have had no effect I felt I was/am left with no recourse. It may be the only way this guy learns. Certainly wouldn't want to play with him once he becomes a senior member with that attitude and regards for the club rules.

 

[Doh]

Homer

Hope i'm not to late to recommend you have a word with the Junior organizer first before you report it to commitee.

As a junior organizer myself for the past seven years i know our council would pass this type of thing back to me to deal with first before they got involved.

It may well be this young man needs pulling into line or it could be that he has done this before and is a persistant offender and this is evidence the junior organiser needs to be able to take a stronger approach.

I have had this situation in the past and although most juniors are great there is always one that pushes the boundries they need to learn that golf clubs are not places that have to tolerate poor behaviour.