Quickest time to get to single figures

[Kelems]

Good afternoon all,

Whats the quickest time a golfer has got to single figures ?

Ive watch my son join a club 3 1/2 years ago and shoot 133 and at the end of this season his congu handicap is 2.3

such a proud dad anyone know anybody that has done it quicker ?

 

[chrisd]

Kim Jon-un but Im sure your son will play in more qualifiers

Well done to your son!

 

[Kelems]

Cheers he hopes to get sown to scratch or better by the end of next season 🤞

We plan to play all the home nations and the big tournaments in the coming year

 

[patricks148]

getting to single figures as a junior wouldnt be the main concern its getting to scratch, Sandy Scotts younger brother got there at just under 13, younger than Tiger.

how old is your son?

 

[Kelems]

He is 17 i know its a little late as a junior but he is so committed and focused to gettung there, and considering he has only picked a club up 3 1/2 years ago is quite an achievement (i dont play golf myself ) just enjoy watchimg him play

 

[patricks148]

He is 17 i know its a little late as a junior but he is so committed and focused to gettung there, and considering he has only picked a club up 3 1/2 years ago is quite an achievement (i dont play golf myself ) just enjoy watchimg him play

i don't want to put a damper on it but his peers would have already been scratch or lower for a few years by this age and been in county or country development squads. they will have a huge advantage in getting in tournaments.. from what i hear county dev squads and national teams are very focused on younger boys. then most are off to the US collegiate system and all the guys from my club have all been +3 and lower to get in an offer. Sandy who i mentioned was +5 when he went to Texas.

 

[ManinBlack]

i don't want to put a damper on it but his peers would have already been scratch or lower for a few years by this age and been in county or country development squads. they will have a huge advantage in getting in tournaments.. from what i hear county dev squads and national teams are very focused on younger boys. then most are off to the US collegiate system and all the guys from my club have all been +3 and lower to get in an offer. Sandy who i mentioned was +5 when he went to Texas.

And Nick Faldo didn't pick up a club until he was 14.

 

[patricks148]

And Nick Faldo didn't pick up a club until he was 14.

And Gary Wolstenholme was off a high handicap at 18 and played multiply walker Cups, but those days it would seem are gone. The Us still have spots for low handicap mid Ams i think they call them but now its all about the younger the better, which i don't agree with myself, One the SGU in particular certainly follow

 

[Kelems]

Hello, your right a lot of golfers have told me about his age they like the players to be younger, as long as he is happy playing doesnt matter to me as a dad, he loves the game, when he plays new course He sees it as a challenge and there is so many challenges out there he’ll be chasing them for many years as long as he is enjoying it .

 

[Wolf]

I don't think his age matters, there are other ways into the game that don't involve the US collegiate systems. Keep encouraging him and let him see how far he can go

 

[patricks148]

I don't think his age matters, there are other ways into the game that don't involve the US collegiate systems. Keep encouraging him and let him see how far he can go

I'm not saying you do, but to get in to the big Am tournaments you are up against competition that have and playing almost full time golf in the US, which must be seen as an advantage or they wouldn't get pushed that direction

 

[Wolf]

I'm not saying you do, but to get in to the big Am tournaments you are up against competition that have and playing almost full time golf in the US, which must be seen as an advantage or they wouldn't get pushed that direction

Whilst your right they do push it and probably do have the advantage there are so many other options available to people. If he gets to a level where he is a plus golfer and can compete there are other ways to qualify for county, national and international teams.

There are many mini tours he can start out on and work his way up the ranks to full tour credentials, lots of European tour player have done this even in recent years US collegiate system is not the only way forward for a lot of people. Sometimes it's easy to tell people why they can't do something but personally I prefer to look at positives and what can be achieved and if he has the talent and work ethic he can achieve anything

 

[patricks148]

Whilst your right they do push it and probably do have the advantage there are so many other options available to people. If he gets to a level where he is a plus golfer and can compete there are other ways to qualify for county, national and international teams.

There are many mini tours he can start out on and work his way up the ranks to full tour credentials, lots of European tour player have done this even in recent years US collegiate system is not the only way forward for a lot of people. Sometimes it's easy to tell people why they can't do something but personally I prefer to look at positives and what can be achieved and if he has the talent and work ethic he can achieve anything

Of course, but i'm not telling him anything he hasn't already heard by the sounds of it. getting to scratch is the easy part from what i have heard and the way it looks, particularly in Scotland (admit he may not be) unless you are in at a very young age its difficult push your way in the way you used to be able to.

of course anything is possible, but its is hard

 

[Wolf]

Of course, but i'm not telling him anything he hasn't already heard by the sounds of it. getting to scratch is the easy part from what i have heard and the way it looks, particularly in Scotland (admit he may not be) unless you are in at a very young age its difficult push your way in the way you used to be able to.

of course anything is possible, but its is hard

No agreed you haven't said what's not been said before and I certainly wasn't singling you out as though you had and if it came across that way then it wasn't intended.
Sadly it's not a new phenomenon either when I was a junior I got down to 2 handicap but lost a lot love for even trying to get lower because County were only taking people ages between 10-12 years old and focusing on developing them at Rochester and Cobham golf club. So even back then 22years ago it was a closed shop for development, that's one the reasons I eventually drifted away from playing apart from a few forays over the years and only starting up again 2 months back.

I'd like to think though if any of my kids take a liking to the game I can give them better support like the OP and help them find other routes into the game.

 

[patricks148]

No agreed you haven't said what's not been said before and I certainly wasn't singling you out as though you had and if it came across that way then it wasn't intended.
Sadly it's not a new phenomenon either when I was a junior I got down to 2 handicap but lost a lot love for even trying to get lower because County were only taking people ages between 10-12 years old and focusing on developing them at Rochester and Cobham golf club. So even back then 22years ago it was a closed shop for development, that's one the reasons I eventually drifted away from playing apart from a few forays over the years and only starting up again 2 months back.

I'd like to think though if any of my kids take a liking to the game I can give them better support like the OP and help them find other routes into the game.

We are missing a trick, GU now are only interested in youngsters who maybe want or hope to turn pro, but there is more to golf than this. The US has moved away from this a bit and now had mid Ams in things like the Walker Cup, i think i've seen a guy who was in his 40 play for them last time. What do you do if you are some young guy off +3 or so that doesn't want to turn Pro etc? Not much until you get to 55 and seniors by the look of things

 

[Curls]

Was watching a really interesting podcast with Padraig Harrington recently and he said that what you don't want is a young kid turning pro who has a wonderful long game. You actually want the guys with a ropey long game but magic short games and the ability to get out of trouble and compete when the chips are down. Those guys can then develop their long game with coaching, but its much harder to teach someone with an ace long game the tricks of scoring. They sort of make it too easy on themselves hitting fariways and greens in regulation. To compete for money you need grit, not a swing, that bit can be taught.

 

[Wolf]

We are missing a trick, GU now are only interested in youngsters who maybe want or hope to turn pro, but there is more to golf than this. The US has moved away from this a bit and now had mid Ams in things like the Walker Cup, i think i've seen a guy who was in his 40 play for them last time. What do you do if you are some young guy off +3 or so that doesn't want to turn Pro etc? Not much until you get to 55 and seniors by the look of things

Totally agree with you there is a massive hole in areas that kids with good games could get into. One such thing that wasn't afforded to me but I know a couple of people since gave done is get offered chances to go to golf colleges and study club, business and landscape management. One guy I know who has fine this then went into do a PGA diploma as well now is director of club back down in Kent.

I think it's a typically British outlook that we are nowhere forward thinking enough of how to get people into sport, into job roles within sport and overlooking those that have talent or work ethics instead focusing on physical make up and other similar criteria.

Was watching a really interesting podcast with Padraig Harrington recently and he said that what you don't want is a young kid turning pro who has a wonderful long game. You actually want the guys with a ropey long game but magic short games and the ability to get out of trouble and compete when the chips are down. Those guys can then develop their long game with coaching, but its much harder to teach someone with an ace long game the tricks of scoring. They sort of make it too easy on themselves hitting fariways and greens in regulation. To compete for money you need grit, not a swing, that bit can be taught.

Life on Tour podcast was it? Listened to that myself the other day in the car and Harrington is a great example he was 24 when he turned pro having been to night school to learn accounting, he was saying he could barely find a fairway and play most of his golf from areas of the course most didn't know existed. But he did say when he went on tour being that bit older he was more mentally prepared to deal with having to change his long game etc.

 

[Curls]

Life on Tour podcast was it?

That's the one. I've listened to half of them and his was the best for me, some were real just potted histories of a career. Whatever. I felt I learned a few things from his. Eddie Pepperell is worth a watch too, certainly one of the more entertaining ones!

 

[Wolf]

That's the one. I've listened to half of them and his was the best for me, some were real just potted histories of a career. Whatever. I felt I learned a few things from his. Eddie Pepperell is worth a watch too, certainly one of the more entertaining ones!

I found the Harrington to be very insightful into his career and quite interesting in how his was a different route and one more people could take inspiration from. Eddie Pepperell one was also very good, I found the Tommy Fleetwood, Keith Pelly and Luke Donald ones a little bland, did quite enjoy the Thomas Bjorn one though

 

[patricks148]

I found the Harrington to be very insightful into his career and quite interesting in how his was a different route and one more people could take inspiration from. Eddie Pepperell one was also very good, I found the Tommy Fleetwood, Keith Pelly and Luke Donald ones a little bland, did quite enjoy the Thomas Bjorn one though

Porrige does talk a lot of sense... but i like the story of Paul Lawrie, starts selling mars bars as an Assistant at Banchory and and wins the Open