My stay-cation got boring real quick so I decided to hop in the car last minute and catch a quick afternoon round on my own at Valley Golf.
If you’ve never played by yourself, I suggest that you do so. It’s quite fun and relaxing. No pressure, no expectations, just you and the course for four hours. 
On the 15th hole, I caught up to another single who was about to tee off. From afar, he asked me if I wanted to join him. I asked him for his name and how old his is… he told me Jason Lee, 14.
Jason’s a tall-for-his-age Korean national who’s been living in the Philippines for 4 years. He got into golf 2-years ago when his Dad, who coincidentally runs the Korean restaurant at Valley Golf, started forcing him to play.
Like any kid, he hated it after first saying, “it was boring and way too hot outside to be playing golf.” But as his Dad drilled the basics into him and he began hitting the ball better, he slowly fell in love with the game.
Besides the outfit (he was all decked out complete with the LBJ arm sleeves), I knew Jason was a ringer because it’s pretty safe to assume that a 14-year-old kid is a ringer if he’s playing a course alone.
Not a terribly long hitter, Jason made me his bitch today. This was emphasized on the 16th hole par-5 where he landed his 2nd shot softly on the green from 200 yards away with his 3-wood.
His incredibly straight shots often made me forget that he’s only 14. That is until he busted out the occasional “Oh Man” when he or even I hit a bad shot, and his bizarre questions like asking me what my “blood type is” (kids say the darnest things!).
With free greens fees, he’s now a 4-handicapper and set to start competing in junior tournaments next year when his swing and plane become a bit more consistent.
He beat me by 2 strokes on the four holes we played and finished 3-over for his round from the blue tees, which is just ridiculous. Wish I started playing when I was young and really wish I took lessons like Jason when I first started.
Keep your eyes out for him as I’m sure he’ll be kickin ass once he starts competing.
