Just wanted to share my heartbreak....

[justasgood]

So my son(soon to be 18) was always a natural athlete. Any sport he played, he had an uncanny knowledge and ability to master. Always on the small side, baseball and football were left behind as his peers got bigger. Basketball stayed with him and golf was kind of a “dad plays so I’ll give it a go”.

 

Through middle school and his freshman high school year he was a 1 slot player. Routine shooting in the 80’s for 18 holes. Never took lessons and never practiced. We offered coaching or clinics (including for basketball) but he just didn’t want to work at it .

 

he quit golf after his freshman year because he’d rather play XBox .

 

Fast forward to his Senior year. A growth spurt took him from 5’5” to Almost 6’ over the summer.

2 weeks ago he asks if we could go to the club to play. Keep in mind he hasn’t touched a club since midway through his freshman year.

I marveled at his swing and ability to just hit the ball

Anyway, as he leaves high school to head to college, I can’t help but think what could have been.

so just for giggles, I thought I would post a pic and video. Our club has no Range so these swings are about 3 holes into the 9 we played . He shot 41 BTW.

 

Thanks for letting an olde man ruminate about how good he could have been:

Driver position at top:

Practice swing and iron swing(bit of early release). Oops, can’t post video.

[nsxguy]

Dad ? Is that you ? LOL

Your first 2 paragraphs, except for "dad plays" could have been used to describe me at the same age(s).

Always wished I'd have picked up a golf club instead of a baseball just to see what might have happened. Given the tremendously long odds of turning pro in any sport I'd have to say "nothing much" would've happened but ya never know what you don't know now, do ya ?

“Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.” John Greenleaf Whittier

 

[TripleBogeysrbetter]

Great post It's a game you guys can enjoy for a long time.

My most cherish moments are not junior tournaments. Its those 2 man scrambles we've always done. I wake up at 4am ready for those days.

[GolfSRQ]

Be glad he’s into it now. You guys will be able to do a lot of bonding together on the course over the next several years. He will look forward to golf and have fun with it.

[Medson]

While college golf and beyond are out of the picture, there are so much two of you can do down the road.

[justasgood]

To be clear, I do not lament thinking he could have been a pro. Just wondering how good he would be if he stuck with it and maybe worked with a coach. Just thinking as he graduates this year and heads to college, if perhaps a scholarship or partial scholarship would have been attainable.

 

Thanks for all the kind comments, he is a marvel to watch and a great kid too.

 

hopefully the game grabs him the way it did for me.

 

As for now, I anxiously await the next opportunity for us to play.

[JuniorGolfParent]

Well if it makes you feel better, the amount of time he would have needed to dedicate to practice and competition in order to play in college probably would have prevented him from doing other things he enjoys and hopefully is good at, so it’s not clear if he would be any better off if he didn’t have a true passion for the game

[Londoner]

You have to have a love of the game. If you don't you just don't.

I used to be a very good level dart player. Played 3 matches a week, practiced 5 hours a day. Got to a level of playing for London.

My pals brother played maybe 6 times a year. He saw nothing in the game, didn't really like it. Could beat me any time he liked.

[GolfSRQ]

I don’t have specific numbers , but the percentage of high school golfers who receive any type of scholarship in college for golf has to be low single digits at most.

[wildcatden]

If the golf bug really grabs him, he can always play USGA tournaments (Locals, State and US Open qualifiers). Do well in some of these and a quick note to the college golf coach might get some attention.

[Baitkiller]

Right there with you.

[BeerPerHole]

Hey justasgood...thanks for sharing. Your son looks fantastic in those pics.

My son has autism. Was catatonic on his feet at a year old. We recovered him most of the way back (some of that was in an international documentary on autism called "The Sunshine Boy"). He's going to be a freshman next year and is blessed with great physical ability to hit the ball. This is because (and one reason for his recovery) we threw him into karate very young and soccer. Both started as total disasters but we stuck with it...as did he. So he's got the power, balance, flexibility, etc. Last week he left his clubs out at the club overnight...something they're still laughing about (the staff knew it was his clubs, because they know and love the boy). Total scatterbrain...and probably not able to manage the game between his ears...but time will tell.

I feel for you, actually. But, if your boy is healthy and functional in life you're golden, my friend. Most importantly, he's got a great position at the top (mild sarcasm there...haha).

[kekoa]

That is always a thought that lingers in my mind. What if my son wants to quit golf down the road when he has such great potential? I have no idea what I would do. I will say that he is free to pursue other avenues, but I would be extremely upset if he puts the clubs down for video games.

 

Like others have said, just be thankful your son is healthy and has found a way to get into college through academics. He may not play competitive golf, but you will both be able to share the sport together in the future forever.

 

Thanks for sharing your story.

[Tru]

What’s truly important is that you did the right thing and didn’t push him too hard like so many overzealous parents can do. He’s come back around on his own terms and now you both can spend many years together enjoying this beautiful game. I spent my teens and early twenties playing football. My dad was one of the coaches for my high school team. He was always there to help but never pushed me too hard, he didn’t want to ruin my passion for the game. As much as we both love reminiscing about those years, to me there’s nothing that compares with getting out for 18 with him now. You have a lot of great times ahead and he’ll appreciate them more than you’ll ever know.

[TripleBogeysrbetter]

Mine can do any other sport. There is no option to quit for gaming time.

"I would be extremely upset if he puts the clubs down for video games"

 

I grew up a baseball nut. Had my oldest into baseball but he was so scared of the ball. Broke my heart when he wanted to quit and pursue basketball.

[heavy_hitter]

You can always fish.