A few days ago I went to watch a big junior golf tournament for the first time in over 15 years. That used to be pretty routine when I watched D.J. play. This tournament had juniors from 10 years old up to 17, playing in different age groups for both boys and girls. I specifically went there to watch Keenan, a 12 year old who has been a student of mine for 6 years. This junior tournament is part of a series run by folks from Georgia. There were players from all over the Southeast, followed by mostly moms who have to drive them around the tour.
The tour was professionally run and had all the tools needed to do things correctly. They had a big covered trailer with their name and logo to carry all their supplies. They had starter tents on #1 and # 10 that had the name and logo of a major club and ball manufacturer, which is their major sponsor. Each player got a dozen balls from this company at registration. They had cases on the table to hold scorecards, pin location sheets, pencils, tees, etc. Also under each tent were large coolers full of water and sports drinks. This was a first class operation, right down to the quality looking scoreboard and award ceremony when each age group finished.
The boys were all dressed well, as they should be for playing golf. I was a little amazed to see a few young ladies wearing shorts that I would say would be difficult for me to classify as shorts and more like the bottom for a swimsuit. I even saw one girl wearing an outfit that looked more like one you would see at a tennis tournament. I don't want to sound like a prude, or a golden oldie, but I think the standard for apparel is a little too loose for the young ladies from what I saw that day on a few of the players.
Like junior tournaments I have attended for years, the players were well coached in the rules and etiquette of the game, and their behavior is exemplary. All players in all age groups, including the girls, carried their own bags. Parents followed, some riding carts and some walking, having to stay close to the cart path and away from the players. Many of them kept score cards, keeping track of the score of all the players in the group. I saw Keenan's father keeping track of his round in a little stats notebook. I have always stressed the importance of knowing your stats as they tell the good and the bad, and are the key to really knowing how you played.
I saw most of the players used good walk in routines for all their shots, which leads me to believe that many have professional help and lessons. I saw quite a few with strong grips in the 12 and under age group. This disappointed me as that will be a big problem for them to fix when they get bigger and stronger and start hitting it longer and have to fight the hooks. For the most part, setup and posture was pretty good. Only a few had what I would consider too wide a stance.
Looking at their swings, what they pretty much all had in common, except for Keenan, was a big turn, parallel length backswings with the arms and club behind them, and the club laid off at the top of the backswing. The follow through to the finish was rotational, with the hips turning quickly straightening to locking the left leg and the shoulders turning well left of the target, and the arms folding and wrapping around the torso, with the left elbow down near the belt.
In lessons I have given to junior golfers less than 15 years of age, I am disturbed by how many have told me that their backs hurt them. I am not talking about aches from over practice or having to do chores around the house. They are in true blue pain. I also have lost count of how many times I have heard these juniors or their parents tell me that they have had to go to rehab to fix their backs. Many have had to take time off from playing and practicing while their backs recovered. The worst part of this is that not one of the juniors or their parents had a clue that the swing was the cause, and if they did they felt and accepted it was part of the program, like the injuries one is sure to get playing football.
All I can say is this is really scary and alarming that junior golfers, under 15, are having so much physical problems so early in their golf careers. Most of these problems are caused by the rotational swing causing so much stress on the lower back, shoulders, neck and knees. It really is scary in that it throws doubt on their ability to have a long and healthy life playing this great game. Playing this non-contact sport and getting hurt is just not acceptable when it is easily fixed by using the body friendly Peak Performance Golf Swing. Starting early in life with the PPGS is a great insurance policy to a lengthy golf career.
This round I watched was day two of a 36 hole event. I caught Keenan's group at the turn and walked the back nine with his father, two uncles and his grandfather. The two boys he played with each had their mother watching and keeping score. Both of these boys were a year or more older than Keenan, quite bigger and obviously stronger. They outdrove him by a minimum of 20 yards regularly. It was obvious being outdriven regularly didn't bother Keenan, because we have talked about this many times. The short driver hits first and when he puts his ball on the green first, the other players have more pressure because they are looking at his ball already on the green.
What impressed me was he played smart and patient. He double bogeyed a hole but came back strong knocking it close on the next hole, a par 3. What I also liked was he and his dad talked about how he would play the last hole. It is a really tight par 4 with a lateral water hazard running the length of the right side (he hit into it in round 1 using his driver) and there is a big fairway bunker guarding the left side of the fairway. They knew the exact yardage to the bunker and the plan was to stay short of it. Keenan hit a 3 wood which he knew could not reach it. (I have taught him that a hazard is not a problem if you hit a club that can't reach it.) He hit a super shot that came up 15 yards short and right in front of the trap, with a good line to the green.
He came to the 18th hole with a 2 shot lead so with his drive (3wood) in good position, he just needed a good iron to the green where the pin was tucked in the right front over a big greenside bunker. He hit his second shot left of the bunker to the center of the green around 30 to 35 feet from the flag, taking the front bunker out of play. He lagged his first put up to around 6 inches and tapped it in for the victory. How sweet it was. What was also sweet is that golf looks safe and sound for the future generation. Junior golf is the future of the game. Let's all make sure that the juniors get every opportunity to learn and play this great game.
The Surge!