Look, what young Scott accomplished on Sunday was more than the 82 that appears on his card. He has, in 4 weeks’ time, elevated the standard of the league. Our group played in front of him and watched drive after drive land 280 from the tee box. Center cut. But the amazing part is, the kid finished the holes. And, at some point late on the front 9, he caught fire. Witness: Scott was +7 after 7 holes. 7 bogies. No doubt, he was walking the line and– we’ve all been there– probably could’ve gone in either direction. He finished at +11. That’s +4 over the final 11 holes. From #8 to #16– a 9-hole stretch– he was 2 over par. Windy day, not a flat lie on the course, putting greens that looked like the ocean in a hurricane, playing in the company of two former league champs and the kid’s dropping circles on his card like a geometry exam.

And did we mention that he’s 16 years old? Or how about this nugget: before I posted it on the site two weeks ago, he’d never– not once– seen a video of his swing. Nor has he ever held a handicap.

There’s a message in this story somewhere, fellas. Perhaps for me more than anybody, because the only thing I spend more time doing than the website is over-analyzing my own swing. In fact, it was the video of young Scott that helped me note a flaw in my set-up. As bad as I drove the ball at Island Green, I was far more consistent with my driver at Lederach and I’ma here to tell you: it was because I watched the kid’s swing. Maybe what I need to do is adapt his attitude, as well.