Southern California's No. 1 Golf Source
STROKE OF THE DAY |
"The players themselves can be classified into two groups- the attractions and the entry fees." |
-Jimmy Demaret |
SITE
SEARCH
GOLF
CALENDAR
People
|
||||
 He should be a factor in Southern California amateur golf for many years. And, maybe soon, he’ll learn to tie his own shoes. Jaden turned 5 in March. But he already drives it 140 yards off the tee, is unerringly straight and, if he gets anywhere near the green, gets it up and down more often than not.“I know touring professionals who would have a hard time beating him on this course,” said Dana Dahlquist, who teaches at the par-3 Heartwell Golf Course in Long Beach. “They put so much spin on the ball that it’s hard to hold greens like ours. Meanwhile, Jaden is getting birdies and pars.” In March, at the California Kid’s Golf Tournament at Heartwell, Jaden shot a 36 to win the 6-and-un-der boys division by 10 strokes. Had he played in the 8-and-under division, he would have won by four. “He’s beating kids who are twice his age. That might not be a big difference if you’re older than 20, but it’s a huge one at his age,” Dahlquist said. “If he keeps doing what he’s doing, he should have a very bright future.” While most 5-year-olds are more interested in learning how to ride a bike or getting up early to watch Saturday morning cartoons, Jaden’s eyes are already on bigger things. He might not have a poster of Jack Nicklaus on his bedroom wall yet, but, when asked if he’s going to wear a green jacket someday, he enthusiastically nods his head and breaks into the infectious grin that has led his fellow pre-schoolers to christen him “smiley-boy.” “He just loves the game of golf,” said his dad, Tony Cantafio. “He’s the one who begs me to bring him out here everyday when I come home from work. It’s all him. Neither my wife nor I push him at all. And as long as he continues to enjoy it, we’ll support him. It’s a great way to spend quality time together. But if he ever wakes up some morning and tells me he doesn’t want to play anymore, I’ll completely respect that.” It’s doubtful that Jaden will be hanging up his pint-sized Cleveland irons and HiBore driver anytime soon. For though he is a laughing, exuberant 5-year-old who, at times, is more fascinated by a piece of wood floating in a puddle than he is on an approaching tee shot, it’s clear that he’s a student of the game. He follows a routine before every shot, knows the clubs in his bag by touch and, when waiting to tee off on the first hole, sits patiently on a bench, staring intently at the group in front of him. He may not be able to eloquently express what he’s thinking about, but the intensity of his gaze isn’t too unlike the look of another local prodigy named Tiger Woods, who honed his game at Heartwell some 25 years ago.But any comparisons to other golfers will have to wait. “He’s just Jaden, and he loves the game,” his dad said. “I mean, he likes SpongeBob SquarePants, too, but he also happens to have this natural ability and a love for the game that is amazing.” His dad first saw that ability nearly three years ago. “I was at a sports store looking at some fishing equipment and noticed Jaden staring at some people who were testing out some golf clubs,” he said. “He picked up a 7-iron and hit some balls in the cage. When I told him it was time to leave, he started crying and I had to buy him the club.” Tony then took Jaden to the El Dorado driving range and realized “he had this complete, full swing. It was unbelievable. Then I bought him an entire set.” At El Dorado, head professional Chris Blackman gave Jaden a couple of lessons but realized that the most important thing for a golfer his age would be to play with other kids. He referred Jaden to Dahlquist and Heartwell, which is the centerpiece of Long Beach’s junior program. “His swing was pretty much there by the time I started coaching him,” Dahlquist said. “He just has this natural hand-eye coordination, which is something you just can’t teach.”Jaden isn’t old enough to join the Long Beach Junior Golf Program because the minimum age is 7. But program director Lisa Georgeson said that exceptions can be made.“All we ask is that a golfer carry his or her own clubs and keep their own score,” she said. “If they can do that, they can join the program.” Until Jaden is strong enough to carry his clubs — and until he knows how to write all his numbers — he’s part of U.S. Kids Golf, a national junior golf program. Last summer, at the age of 4, he became the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship at Pinehurst in North Carolina. He also posted a top-10 finish in February in the 6-and-under division at the US Kids Golf Jekyll Island Cup. And even though Jaden participates in tournaments on a national level, his dad said he tries to keep the atmosphere as casual as possible. “It’s not some pressure-packed kind of deal where kids live and die on every shot,” Tony Cantafio said. “But even so, you do see some parents riding their kids and that’s the worst thing. I just tell him to listen to his coach and I carry his clubs. I try to stay out of it as much as possible. As long as he has fun, and wants to play, I’ll be his caddy or rooting on the sidelines.” |
||||
RSS Subscribe
Digg This Article
