Nine-year-old Forestburg golfer ‘a natural’

Jace Shannon and his family just returned from California, where Jace, who is now nine-years-old, competed in the 2013 Veritas World Junior Golf Tournament, at the Brookside Golf Club in Pasadena.

This is the first year that Jace has been registered with the Canadian Junior Golf Association, and he won a spot in the World Junior by finishing second in their eight-and-under Boys Junior Linkster Team Canada Qualifier, held May 26 at the Collicutt Siding Golf Club in Crossfield.

Jace also competed June 2 in a Junior Linkster tournament held at River Bend Golf Course in Red Deer, where he again finished second.

His next tournament in the tour is scheduled for Aug. 31 at the Gold Canada Calgary Centre in Calgary. Jace’s mother Paris says that the course was damaged by the June flooding. “They aren’t showing it as cancelled, though.”

This is the first year that Jace has played directly against other players his own age. Last year, he tried a few local tournaments in Forestburg, Hardisty, and Consort, but they are grouped as 12 and under, Paris says.

“Then we met some people from Camrose who recommended the Canadian Junior Golf Association, where he started competing in the eight-and-under category. At nine, they start playing 18 holes,” Paris says.

The junior golf program uses modified yardages, Paris says the longest hole Jace golfed in California was a 300 yard, par 5.

“Jace was a little nervous in California,” his mom says, “everything was so different, even the grass, and it was very, very hot.”

She said some of the kids from the other countries showed up with coaches, and even pros for caddies, while Jace had dad Kevin as a caddy, and has only ever taken a couple of golfing lessons. “He’s kind of a natural,” she says.

The family enjoyed the trip to California, they had the opportunity to get out and talk to the other parents in a big get-together, Paris says.

“We didn’t realize he’d won a spot in the tournament until we got an email giving us just 72 hours to decide. We just thought, if we said no, we would be kicking ourselves later.

“We found it to be a very positive experience.”

She says the tournament opened July 19 with every player carrying their country’s flag into Angel Stadium, home of the MLB Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, to parade the field at the start of the Angels’ game against the Oakland Athletics.

“That was very exciting,” she says. The family enjoyed the ball game afterwards, too.

Jace started golfing around two-years-old, when a family friend gave him some cut down left-handed clubs, Paris says.

“I’ve always taken him golfing with me, and he used to tee off, then we’d pick up his ball and he’d hit from my ball, but when he was in kindergarten I started letting him play the whole hole, and he’d play all nine holes.”

He can hit the ball well, for an eight-year-old, Mom says, adding, “He can out hit me. His tee shot is usually 170 – 175 yards.”

His putting is really good, too, Paris says, “His dad says it saved his butt in California, because his drives weren’t as straight as usual.

“He’s always had a really awesome swing, it seems so easy for him.”

Paris says the family golfs around four times a week, normally, and says that Jace wakes up every day asking if they can go golfing.

They don’t know if Jace will continue with the Canadian Junior Golf Assoc. but it has been a great experience, and Paris says, “I think every opportunity leads to more.”

Leslie Cholowsky,
Editor