how long does it take to play in HS golf team?

[jrgolfer2021]

My 15 years old is interested in playing golf for his high school in Northern Virginia.  He starts playing golf in July 2020, and I got club fitted for the Mizuno JPX-921.  According to the HS golf coach, he needs to shoot 90 or better in order to make the team.  How much practice and coaching will he need for the next three months to shot 90 or better in order to make the team?  TIA.

[SNIPERBBB]

Lot of that is going to depend on what his innate golf ability is.  If he's played baseball, tennis or other hand eye coordination based sports he'll have a shorter curve than someone coming from a non sports or non stick n ball sports background.

 

Biggest obstacle is getting the ball airborne and towards the target most of the time and at least getting the ball on the green  in short game scenarios every time.

 

 

[glk]

Google junior golf programs near me and get him involved.

[mgoblue83]

What does he shoot right now?

 

How well does he hit the ball?

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

31 minutes ago, jrgolfer2021 said:

My 15 years old is interested in playing golf for his high school in Northern Virginia.  He starts playing golf in July 2020, and I got club fitted for the Mizuno JPX-921.  According to the HS golf coach, he needs to shoot 90 or better in order to make the team.  How much practice and coaching will he need for the next three months to shot 90 or better in order to make the team?  TIA.

 

90 or better for a compete beginner learning in two months is going to be a challenge.

 

Focus on his swing. If his swing looks good to the coach, perhaps they might waive the 90 or better scoring?

[KMeloney]

30 minutes ago, jrgolfer2021 said:

My 15 years old is interested in playing golf for his high school in Northern Virginia.  He starts playing golf in July 2020, and I got club fitted for the Mizuno JPX-921.  According to the HS golf coach, he needs to shoot 90 or better in order to make the team.  How much practice and coaching will he need for the next three months to shot 90 or better in order to make the team?  TIA.

 

How can anyone know this? There's no way to know. You're just going to have to see what happens.

[SNIPERBBB]

12 minutes ago, Lincoln_Arcadia said:

 

90 or better for a compete beginner learning in two months is going to be a challenge.

 

Focus on his swing. If his swing looks good to the coach, perhaps they might waive the 90 or better scoring?

I doubt that's a requirement but more of statement of the quality of the current players on the team. Most programs around here have qualifiers to make the team.

[jrgolfer2021]

22 minutes ago, Lincoln_Arcadia said:

 

90 or better for a compete beginner learning in two months is going to be a challenge.

 

Focus on his swing. If his swing looks good to the coach, perhaps they might waive the 90 or better scoring?

 

He is not a complete beginner because he has been playing golf since July 2020.  He has been taking private golf lesson once a week with Mike Vechery in Northern Virginia.  He also has been working with a chipping and putting coach every three weeks or so.  He plays racquetball in the winter and soccer in the spring so golf would fit him well in the fall.  He is quite athletically gifted in racquetball.  He usually spends three hours on weekdays a the grass driving range, chipping and putting in Olney Park Maryland.  He plays 18 holes of golf on both Saturday and Sunday.  I just want to get him ready for the tryout in mid August.  Will that be enough?

Edited May 24, 2021 by jrgolfer2021

[glk]

9 minutes ago, jrgolfer2021 said:

 

He is not a complete beginner because he has been playing golf since July 2020.  He has been taking private golf lesson once a week with Mike Vechery in Northern Virginia.  He also has been working with a chipping and putting coach every three weeks or so.  He plays racquetball in the winter and soccer in the spring so golf would fit him well in the fall.  He is quite athletically gifted in racquetball.  He usually spends three hours on weekdays a the grass driving range, chipping and putting in Olney Park Maryland.  He plays 18 holes of golf on both Saturday and Sunday.  I just want to get him ready for the tryout in mid August.  Will that be enough?

Tourney golf is different than casual rounds.   Would be good to get him into some jr tournament.   Otherwise sounds like learning and practice are covered - might want to play 9 holes as part of practice.   More golf doesn’t hurt.

[SNIPERBBB]

14 minutes ago, jrgolfer2021 said:

 

He is not a complete beginner because he has been playing golf since July 2020.  He has been taking private golf lesson once a week with Mike Vechery in Northern Virginia.  He also has been working with a chipping and putting coach every three weeks or so.  He plays racquetball in the winter and soccer in the spring so golf would fit him well in the fall.  He is quite athletically gifted in racquetball.  He usually spends three hours on weekdays a the grass driving range, chipping and putting in Olney Park Maryland.  He plays 18 holes of golf on both Saturday and Sunday.  I just want to get him ready for the tryout in mid August.  Will that be enough?

What's he shooting when he plays?

[jrgolfer2021]

Just now, SNIPERBBB said:

What's he shooting when he plays?

This past weekend, he only played 9 holes due to transportation issue so my wife had to drive him to play at the Jefferson golf course in Falls Church, Virginia on both Saturday and Sunday.  According to my wife:

 

Saturday:

hole 1:  Par 4:  par

hole 2:  Par 4:  par

hole 3: Par 3: bogey

hole 4: Par 4: double bogey

hole 5: Par 5:  par

hole 6: Par 4: bogey

hole 7: Par 3:  bogey

hole 8: Par 4: bogey

hole 9: Par 4: birdie

 

Sunday:

hole 1:  Par 4:  bogey

hole 2:  Par 4:  double bogey

hole 3: Par 3: par

hole 4: Par 4: double bogey

hole 5: Par 5:  par

hole 6: Par 4: bogey

hole 7: Par 3:  bogey

hole 8: Par 4: bogey

hole 9: Par 4: double bogey

 

 

[SNIPERBBB]

Looks like he's well on his way to playing sub bogey golf if he was playing the ball down and honest scoring m

[jrgolfer2021]

12 minutes ago, jrgolfer2021 said:

This past weekend, he only played 9 holes due to transportation issue so my wife had to drive him to play at the Jefferson golf course in Falls Church, Virginia on both Saturday and Sunday.  According to my wife:

 

Saturday:

hole 1:  Par 4:  par

hole 2:  Par 4:  par

hole 3: Par 3: bogey

hole 4: Par 4: double bogey

hole 5: Par 5:  par

hole 6: Par 4: bogey

hole 7: Par 3:  bogey

hole 8: Par 4: bogey

hole 9: Par 4: birdie

 

Sunday:

hole 1:  Par 4:  bogey

hole 2:  Par 4:  double bogey

hole 3: Par 3: par

hole 4: Par 4: double bogey

hole 5: Par 5:  par

hole 6: Par 4: bogey

hole 7: Par 3:  bogey

hole 8: Par 4: bogey

hole 9: Par 4: double bogey

 

 

Problem with him is that he can be so good one day and really bad the next.  A weeks ago, he eagle hole 9 Par 4 at the Jefferson course.  Yesterday, he +2 on the same hole.

[goaliedad30]

17 minutes ago, jrgolfer2021 said:

Problem with him is that he can be so good one day and really bad the next.  A weeks ago, he eagle hole 9 Par 4 at the Jefferson course.  Yesterday, he +2 on the same hole.

That is the problem with Every. Single. Golfer. On. The. Planet.

Tour pros can shoot 62 one day and 75 the next. 

 

His scoring right now looks like a fairly solid bogey golfer, who should probably shoot 84-85 on "good days" and low 90's on "bad" days.

[Hawkeye77]

Short answer. Impossible to know but you should be asking his coach who has seen him actually play or hit balls. 
 

Likely get better input in junior section from a lot of perspectives, but I still think there is only one for now. 😉

[fronesis]

Play more golf.

 

36 holes a week is just nothing for a kid learning the game. 

 

I started golf late: picked up a club for the first time in March of 8th grade. In August I played in my first tourney, and in September I (barely) made my high school golf team.

 

But I spent all summer playing between 27 and 54 holes of golf a day. I had no lessons and no coaching. Just a lot of golf. 

[JeffreySpicoli]

Hard to imagine that there isn’t some form of tryout process.

 

The best answer is for the youngster to go through the tryout process. You’ll learn everything you need to know.

 

Also, the OP mentioned weekly lessons with Mike Vechery. Vechery sure as hell should have a good idea if the young man has a reasonable shot at making the team.

[Abh159]

1 hour ago, jrgolfer2021 said:

This past weekend, he only played 9 holes due to transportation issue so my wife had to drive him to play at the Jefferson golf course in Falls Church, Virginia on both Saturday and Sunday.  According to my wife:

 

Saturday:

hole 1:  Par 4:  par

hole 2:  Par 4:  par

hole 3: Par 3: bogey

hole 4: Par 4: double bogey

hole 5: Par 5:  par

hole 6: Par 4: bogey

hole 7: Par 3:  bogey

hole 8: Par 4: bogey

hole 9: Par 4: birdie

 

Sunday:

hole 1:  Par 4:  bogey

hole 2:  Par 4:  double bogey

hole 3: Par 3: par

hole 4: Par 4: double bogey

hole 5: Par 5:  par

hole 6: Par 4: bogey

hole 7: Par 3:  bogey

hole 8: Par 4: bogey

hole 9: Par 4: double bogey

 

 

 

Well he was under 90 for this round so sounds like he's already there!

 

Although one thing you should keep in mind is that if he is playing all or most of his rounds by himself, he's probably not playing 100% by the rules. That's not to say he's cheating, but I would imagine he's probably improving his lie before he hits a shot, maybe taking a "mulligan" or two, not taking the proper penalty/drop if he hits one in the water or out of bounds, etc. All of that is fine if he's just starting out and playing casually or for fun, but none of those are allowed once he's in an actual competition. I know plenty of people who will shoot 85 when they are just out on the course goofing off, but they can't break 100 once they have to play by the rules. 

 

The best thing you could do is to enter him into a local junior tournament. It doesn't have to be anything big, just something where he's in an actual competition. That will give you a better idea of where his scores actually are at this moment. 

[PJE]

I think it is admirable you are interested in the welfare and progress of your son. But, there is no way to know. It will either work out or it won't. You've provided him with gear, lessons, and practice opportunities. It sounds like he's on track but if he fails, it will either inspire him to try again or he won't.  Golf is a hard game and even at the lowest competitive level, it's a different game than just casual play. 

The ability to make a high school team depends upon a lot on the popularity of golf in that area and thus the caliber of junior golfers. The kids where I live are sticks mostly because their parents are affluent, obsessed, and think their kids are all going on to Division I scholarships and then the Tour.    You've done your part as a dad. He will find his way. 

[jrgolfer2021]

28 minutes ago, JeffreySpicoli said:

Hard to imagine that there isn’t some form of tryout process.

 

The best answer is for the youngster to go through the tryout process. You’ll learn everything you need to know.

 

Also, the OP mentioned weekly lessons with Mike Vechery. Vechery sure as hell should have a good idea if the young man has a reasonable shot at making the team.

Coach Vechery said that he is very confident that my son will make the team. 

 

28 minutes ago, fronesis said:

Play more golf.

 

36 holes a week is just nothing for a kid learning the game. 

 

I started golf late: picked up a club for the first time in March of 8th grade. In August I played in my first tourney, and in September I (barely) made my high school golf team.

 

But I spent all summer playing between 27 and 54 holes of golf a day. I had no lessons and no coaching. Just a lot of golf. 

 

School will end in two weeks and my son will play 18 holes everyday. Without coaching, how can you improve?  It is like taking Thermodynamic class without college  professor.

 

25 minutes ago, PJE said:

I think it is admirable you are interested in the welfare and progress of your son. But, there is no way to know. It will either work out or it won't. You've provided him with gear, lessons, and practice opportunities. It sounds like he's on track but if he fails, it will either inspire him to try again or he won't.  Golf is a hard game and even at the lowest competitive level, it's a different game than just casual play. 

The ability to make a high school team depends upon a lot on the popularity of golf in that area and thus the caliber of junior golfers. The kids where I live are sticks mostly because their parents are affluent, obsessed, and think their kids are all going on to Division I scholarships and then the Tour.    You've done your part as a dad. He will find his way. 

 

Thank you.  We live in a very affluent area of Northern Virginia (Langley/Great Falls).  Just about everyone in this area is affluent.  Many of them are members of Riverbend Country Club but we're not.

Edited May 24, 2021 by jrgolfer2021

[geochitown]

mental side of the game is important too.

Sounds like you have coaching in place.

Might want to have your instructor set up practice plans for your son, so that he has good practice.

 

Mental golf type on instagram twitter is pretty good.

Kiel Alderink is fine young instructor in the chicago area who just moved to Chatanooga.

He's done a lot of work with the mental side of the game.

 

His facility and website before was Championways.com

 

Now I believe it's mental golf type (determine what type of golfer your are... and train accordingly).

 

Mental Golf Type Home

 

Edited May 24, 2021 by geochitown

[JeffreySpicoli]

56 minutes ago, jrgolfer2021 said:

Coach Vechery said that he is very confident that my son will make the team. 

As Vechery told you this, I’m curious as to why you started this topic. Do you not trust Vechery’s opinion? 

[rrordona]

As a parent who's son made his high school team his freshman year, but not this year, this is what I have to add. 

 

His school has a turnout process where the boys play the front 9's of the local course near us over 3 days. Scores are then turned in and cuts are made based on that. The number 1, 2 & 3 guys are all country club guys and golf is their only sport. Slots 4-8 are who's left. My son is a football player first and is a natural talent at golf but doesn't practice like he should if he was serious about competition. As others have said, there's really no way to know until your son goes thru the process. 

 

What my son's coach had told me was he is "fundamentally sound, and has a great RANGE swing" He learned quickly that playing on the course vs grooving a bucket of balls is very different. When he's "on" he'd shoot +2 or +3 for a front 9. When he's off he could easily be +12-15.... 

 

Mental toughness is a huge factor as well. I've seen boys melt down after one bad hole. My son has the right temperament for golf which has helped him (but maybe has hurt him as well).  We always joke he's very Dustin Johnson like in his reactions to both good/great shots and bad/horrible ones. Its very strange for us as he's a starting Tackle / Defensive End and the mentality on the line is NOTHING like what you'd need in golf. 

 

I think your son is on the right track. If you've given him all he needs to be successful thats about all you can do.

 

Just my $.02

[sm_watts]

I have coached high school golf for 20 years, some years with a very competitive team, some years not; some as a head coach, some as an assistant.  Here's the advice I would give your son if he came to me stating he wanted to play on our team next year:

1) play a lot of golf with better players.  Just going out and playing everyday is a total crapshoot.  He needs to see how better players play, how seriously they take their putting, the types of shots they try to hit, how they react to a bad hole, and how they avoid blow-up holes.  Even things like which side of the tee box they use.  This will also help him feel more comfortable during tryouts as hopefully he won't feel intimidated by the better players.

2) learn the rules and play by them.  One, so they know what they really shoot on an average day (factoring in bad lies, OB's, etc.). And two, so that other teams will never accuse them of cheating, even when a player doesn't even know they broke a rule.  The last thing a HS coach wants is to get the reputation in their league of cheating.

3) instill the importance of being a good person.  The thing I dislike about HS golf the most is how much time my players are unsupervised.  I want to know that I can trust a kid to be out on a course with teammates or kids from other schools and not give my school a bad name.  In the 7-10 spots on a team, I would much rather have a kid I like hanging out with than with a surly, entitled, pain in the rear that beat him by 2 strokes in tryouts.  We had a kid a few years back that didn't make the varsity because the head coach couldn't stand being on a bus with the kid, and I didn't blame him!

4) and finally, the importance of having a positive attitude.  This story should sum it up: about 7 years ago I was walking the course during a match with another coach who had a stud freshmen.  We crossed paths with the #1 group on a par-5.  My senior made par, his freshman hit it in the water and made bogey.  On the next hole, a par 3, his kid overshot the green into some nasty cabbage well below the green.  He couldn't even see the flagstick from where he was.  As he walked by, his coach told him to stay positive, keep grinding, and so on.  The freshman just looks at him and smiles and says, "Don't worry coach, I got this!"  He then proceeds to hole out from the hazard for birdie.  My guy walks by and won't look at me or say anything, he just grunts.  Turns out he actually was leading the tournament at the time.  I probably don't need to tell you who ended up winning that day, and that kid is on North Carolina State's varsity right now.  He's also a kid that would take the time to stop and explain to any other team's #5 man what putting drill he was doing, or compliment some kid who just shot 100 on the one good shot he some him hit.  I cannot say enough nice things about that kid!

[geochitown]

have him establish a handicap index?

[heavy_hitter]

52 minutes ago, geochitown said:

have him establish a handicap index?

No reason for a HS golfer to have a handicap.

[geochitown]

why not?

[JeffreySpicoli]

40 minutes ago, geochitown said:

why not?

You don’t get strokes playing in high school competitions.

 

Edit: As @leezer99 reminded me, he would need an official cap for USGA competitions.

Edited May 24, 2021 by JeffreySpicoli

[leezer99]

They’ll need a handicap if they’re going to play in any USGA events. 

[Ri_Redneck]

Start giving him an allowance, then tell him he has to give it back if he shoots higher than 90 while playing with you. If he keeps it under 90 for about 5-6 rounds, he's ready. Then you can give him all his allowance money back. 😉

 

BT