Brandon Wilson crushes nearly everyone he plays. Give him a driver, and he hits it with the best of them.
He was undefeated on the South Philadelphia Tour of U.S. Kids Golf this past summer, but don?t call Jay Leno just yet. The players he has left in the dust by too many strokes to count are not exactly being courted by colleges and endorsements. His competitors are his age: 6.
But he appears ready for a bigger challenge. Next year, he might make a big leap ? bypassing the 7-year-olds and going right after the big boys ? the 8-year-olds.
Brandon, a first-grader at Kingsville Elementary in Perry Hall, is the definition of constant motion, whether it?s playing basketball at home or skateboarding through his neighborhood. But on the golf course, Brandon, who acknowledges “Pokemon” is really his favorite game, is as cool and calm as Tiger Woods staring down a do-or-die putt on the 18th green.
He started hitting plastic golf balls at 20 months and moved to the links at age 2.
For his parents, Rob and Christine, golf extends beyond winning and losing.
“We want golf to give him the best chance to succeed,” Brandon?s father says. “Realistically, we want him to use his ability to his advantage, and if he gets school paid for, it doesn?t matter what division. That?s our real goal. Who knows, if he?s good enough and gets on the [PGA] Tour, that would be great.”
For Brandon, the goal may be more immediate.
About 14,000 children ages 4 to 12 are involved with a U.S. Kids Golf Tournament across the country each year. The tour began in 1997 to foster skill development and a positive playing environment for children. Last summer, Brandon dominated his age group.
The Wilsons have nurtured a love of golf in Brandon since he first picked up a club at the age of 2 and began turning heads with his near-flawless swing.
He loves playing all sports, from lacrosse and baseball to soccer, football, tennis and basketball.
“We had Brandon signed up for soccer and baseball camps, but we are reorganizing based on golf,” his father says. “If there is time for other things, we?ll take it, but right now we are going to concentrate on golf.”
That?s just fine with Brandon, as the Wilsons make golf a family affair.
“I really like playing with my dad,” says Brandon, whose 2 1/2-year-old brother, Kyle, likes tagging along, but isn?t as gifted as Brandon at the same age.
Rob Wilson is the founder of Maryland Golf Media Inc., a local golf media and promotions company. He?s a scratch golfer and hosts a Sunday morning radio show ? “Double Bogey Blues” ? on 1300 AM. He is also Brandon?s main teacher and caddie.
In warm weather, father and son hit drives and sink putts in their back yard, which features a pitching green, or they play at the Mountain Branch course in Joppa. When it gets cold, they head to the Wilson?s basement, where Brandon hits balls into a net.
Sometimes, he even beats his dad. And to keep Brandon?s game fresh ? and fun ? his father sometimes adds Pokemon rewards to sweeten the game.
“If he can win certain games, he can win Pokemon cards,” Wilson says. “But if hedoesn?t, he has to give some back. The first time we did that, he missed his target 27 times and lost 27 cards. But then we did some putting, and we had to make sure he won some back. There have been some frustrating times [for him], but at the end of the day he is winning something and having fun.”
Damon Klepazynski, a teaching pro at Mountain Branch who works with about 50 junior golfers in the region, suggested the Pokemon-card reward system. He doesn?t always recommend such a technique, but in Brandon?s case, Klepazynski says it was appropriate since very few kids his age can compete on his level.
“Most of the kids, they have to want to do it,” Klepazynski says. “With golf, they are just hitting balls, and it can get boring sometimes. It can be boring for me. With them, I do different things. If the kid can?t handle working with rewards, it can become a slippery slide. Brandon wants to earn [rewards], and he produces a better score.”
Klepazynski says he won?t work with a student unless he can get a solid 30 minutes of uninterrupted instruction. With Brandon, it?s trying not to do too much too fast.
“Some kids will be good at any sport they play,” Klepazynski says. “But in golf, you occasionally get a kid [who] gets it. You can tell he will be a good golfer just by the way he swings the club. This kid is into golf, he?s attentive on the tee, and he listens. He knows the difference between a really good shot and one that most people think is good.”
On the Kids Tour, Brandon plays on modified holes. A round is nine holes totaling around 1,000 yards, with a par of 36. Brandon picked up his first Kids Tour victory in late June at Wyncote Country Club in Oxford, Pa., with a 57. He followed that with four more wins, recording a 47 (when none of his competitors shot better than 70), a 43, a 41 and a 40. That impressive string earned him the regional tour?s Player of the Year award.
“He was really cool about winning,” Wilson says. “When he came in fifth at a qualifier, he was just as happy. He got a ribbon, and as long as he got something, he really didn?t care.”
And while Brandon has plenty of ribbons and trophies, his mother says it?s his maturity that makes her proudest.
“He never makes a mistake as far as manners on the course ? walking around the ball and getting back out, staying away from others hitting,” she says. “He really likes knowing how to do that.”
With his play this summer, Brandon earned an automatic berth in next year?s Kids World Golf Championship in Pinehurst, N.C. At this year?s event, he finished 60th out of 100.
Is he looking forward to it?
“I loved the driving range at the No. 2 course,” Brandon says. “But I loved going to the pool.”
Join the discussion and take our poll in today’s examiNation Baltimore: What do you think of pushing young children ionto sports with the hopes of getting college scholarships?
