2009 player of year strives to improve his stroke Scott Shingler’s golfing career got off to an inauspicious start; in high school, his scores mirrored those of the average weekend warrior.
“My freshman and sophomore year, I couldn’t break 100,” he said on a cool, cloudy day at Evergreen Country Club — his home course in Haymarket, Va.
But after a winding journey, from playing golf for a North Carolina junior college and George Mason University, to teeing it up on the Golden Bear Tour in Florida, Shingler, 38, was named the 2009 Virginia State Golf Association player of the year.
Now, Shingler is working part time at his wife Arschia’s pediatric dental practice in Gainesville, as well as “doing the Mr. Mom thing,” as he put it. The Shinglers have two children and are expecting a third in November.
In his spare time, he is trying to qualify for the U.S. Open, which is to be played at Pebble Beach in late June. Shingler made it through the local qualifying rounds last week, and will head to sectional qualifying at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville on June 7.
His swing coach, Bernie Najar, said he expects good things from his student.
“He has the focus and … the desire to be out there,” said Najar. “And he enjoys the test — he likes getting his heart rate up.”
Najar would know — he and Shingler played against each other when Najar attended American University and Shingler was teeing it up at George Mason.
“He doesn’t usually go into anything without being 100 percent focused on it since I’ve known him,” Najar said.
Shingler’s golfing odyssey is a bit unique, in that he turned professional in 1998 and worked at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville. He headed to Florida during the winters to play, which included a stint on the Golden Bear Tour from 2001 to 2002.
“I loved it. I love the grind of it,” Shingler said. “I want to compete against the best there is.”
He then took a bit of a hiatus, playing about once a year from 2003 to 2007. In doing so, he was able to get his amateur status back. In 2007, his wife suggested he return to golf.
“I didn’t know whether it would take four years to get my game back, or one or two,” he said. “My first year back, I won three events and finished sixth in points rankings.”
Shingler also tied Tom Strange, the father of two-time U.S. Open winner Curtis Strange, for the best-ever amateur score at last year’s Virginia Open, finishing second overall with a stellar 14 under par at the four-day event.
But Shingler says that as long as he’s improving, wins are secondary.
“I never set any goals like, ‘I want to win five tournaments this year.’ I just want to get better.”
But when he discussed his career-low round of 65, which he has achieved more than once, it seemed to unleash a taste of his competitive juices.
“That should be my goal, yeah,” he said. “That’s a little disappointing, but hey, I’ve got plenty of years to play golf. I’d love to shoot a 62 or 63 some day.”
Short term, he wants to improve on last year, Shingler says. Long term? He didn’t rule out a shot at higher goals.
“It’d be great to break through and win the U.S. Amateur,” he said. “It would be a lie if I said I didn’t want to go back out there and try to make the tour.
“It’s a lot of work,” he said, as he was preparing to do some chipping and putting at Evergreen. “But it’s good work — how can you not love it?”
