[snackdaddy]

My 16 year old grandson is in his first year of competitive golf on the high school team. The kid is a natural. He was in a tournament in Chowchilla at Pheasant Run Golf Course. There were 70 kids from high school in Northern Cal and the Bay Area. He placed 5th with an 82 at a tough par 72 course. I have trouble breaking 100 there and I've been golfing for years.

When I golfed with him last week at the local course, which isn't an easy par 72, He hit a drive we figured ended up around 315-320 yards. And the kid is like 150 pounds soaking wet. I can't even come close to beating him now.

And I'm the one who got him his first set of real clubs when he was 5 and took him out to the range. He already had an idea how to hit the balls at that age. Now when you see his swing you can't tell the difference between his and the guys on TV.

His coach said his only downfall is overconfidence. When things are going well he tends to take it for granted and doesn't give 100 percent focus on every shot. Causes the occasional break down hole. Once he figures that out, sky's the limit for this kid. He just needs to work on course management and consistency.

I put this in Other Sports because its about golf. I titled it Proud Papa because he calls me Papa. And I am a proud Papa. Even if I can't beat him anymore.

Edit: Dieter gave me an idea. I changed the title to make this a golf thread for any golfers here.

[dieterbrock]

Love this.
Well done "Papa"
Hopefully the kid will spend time chipping and putting, that's where the rubber meets the road
"There are two things that won't last long in this world, and that's dogs chasing cars and pros putting for pars"

[snackdaddy]

Love this.
Well done "Papa"
Hopefully the kid will spend time chipping and putting, that's where the rubber meets the road
"There are two things that won't last long in this world, and that's dogs chasing cars and pros putting for pars"

I've heard some say good players make birdies, champions make pars. Which means the guys that save their pars more often usually win. Of course that applies the PGA pros. I'm happy with bogey. My goal is play bogey golf on a regular basis. I've only broke 90 twice in my lifetime. Both times I didn't drive well but hit my recoveries better. Now I'm steadily in the 91-95 range. Its getting there. Maybe this summer.

[ramsrams]

I love posts like these. Makes you feel good.

I got the greatest e- mail from my sister a few weeks ago. Her daughter is going to be able to intern at a hospital in Halifax as an anatheologist . Her first choice.

I think that is pretty cool, too, though I do tend to the golf side.

[snackdaddy]

I love posts like these. Makes you feel good.

I got the greatest e- mail from my sister a few weeks ago. Her daughter is going to be able to intern at a hospital in Halifax as an anatheologist . Her first choice.

I think that is pretty cool, too, though I do tend to the golf side.

Teach her how to golf. After all, isn't that what doctors do?

[ramsrams]

Lol.

Actually, she was quite the rugby player, taking after our Celtic heritage.

[Neil039]

That’s awesome. Congrats to your grand son! I just purchased clubs for my boy. It’s the only sport activity he will participate in besides swimming.

[snackdaddy]

Love this.
Well done "Papa"
Hopefully the kid will spend time chipping and putting, that's where the rubber meets the road
"There are two things that won't last long in this world, and that's dogs chasing cars and pros putting for pars"

Yeah, that putting thing can be a bitch. He did pretty good last week but could have shot his best score if not for his putting. He missed a couple 6 foot birdies. Even missed a 4 foot par. Also had a couple 3 putts. Both ended with double bogey.

He's working on it now. His father noticed a flaw in his grip and putting motion. He was doing pretty good with the adjustment at the practice green. We'll see if it makes a difference next tournament. His chipping is up and down too. Sometimes he can chip it 2 feet from the cup and other times he's 20-30 feet. With the later days now and warmer weather he'll have more time to work on that.

[snackdaddy]

Well, his golf team went north for a tournament. Josh did pretty good. Had the lowest round on his team. But the rest of the team played poorly and didn't finish high enough to advance. So their season is over. Its too bad.

Josh is the number two guy and the number one is usually really good. They finished first in their conference. The number one guy has shot in the 70's numerous times. This time he fell apart and shot an 86. His highest score of the season. Josh ended with an 82 and got a medal for top five score. His golf coach said Josh has enough talent to play college golf. He just needs to refine his game more to be more consistent. Its up to him if he wants to take it to the next level and be good at it.

Still proud of the kid. He doesn't turn 18 till December and he's graduating from high school this month. He's got girlfriend and they both plan to go to college in San Diego. I'm not liking it because I'm gonna miss my little Bubba. But he's turning into a man now. I'm gonna have to get in as many rounds with him as I can this summer. He attended his first and last high school prom with his girlfriend. They do make a cute couple.

[snackdaddy]

Dang, I was so proud that I finally broke 90 with an 87 a couple weeks ago. So I take the kid out for 18 holes a few days ago. I didn't break 90 this time but shot a solid 91 which is good for me. The kid beat me by 12 strokes with a 79 on a par 72 course. And he hadn't picked up a club in 5 weeks. I'm starting to think I'm never gonna beat him unless I stomp on his foot before a round.

On another note, I change my driver swing a couple years ago to hit more fairways. It worked for a while and my scores got lower. But I lost distance. Then lately I started missing fairways even with the loss of distance. So finally, I said heck with it. I went back to my old baseball swing. Just grip it and rip it. If I miss the fairway at least I'm further down. And what do you know, I'm hitting more fairways now and longer.

I think my brain adjusted to my swing making me think my age was the reason for it. When I go to the range I just let it fly as hard as I can now. I'm not where I was 20 years ago. An occasional 300 yard drive wasn't uncommon back then. But I can now hit some around 260-270 yards. Mishits are 230-240. Not bad for a guy who just turned 63. Those 400 yard plus par 4's are now reachable in two for me.