December, 2014 – “Beat Nick,” A Competition that Encourages Young Golfers
December 30th at Wycliffe Golf & Country Club
By Krista Martinelli
Golf is on the decline in the U.S., especially among young people. However, the people at Wycliffe Golf & Country Club are trying to turn that around. They are hosting a special event, which has a competitive part and an instructional part to it, just for young people interested in golf. On December 30th, young golfers are going to have the chance to “Beat Nick,” which will be a difficult task if you know anything about eleven-year-old rising star Nick Staub.
At Wycliffe’s Annual Junior Golf Clinic, special guest Nick Staub will be demonstrating his skills and challenging anyone to beat his putting ability. So far, Staub has equaled the course records of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy when they were his age. “He generates enthusiasm for the game of golf,” says Wycliffe Director of Golf Lynn Stebbins.
“I know Nick. And I know of the decline of golf. This is a great way that Wycliffe can encourage younger people to play golf,” says Stebbins.
According to Time Magazine, “Golfer numbers are down. Golf equipment sales have been tanking. The number of golf courses closing annually is supposed to dwarf the number of new courses opening for years to come. ‘We really don’t know what the bottom is in golf,’ Dick’s Sporting Goods CEO Edward Stack said in a recent conference call.”
Locally, people are hoping that Nick Staub might spark that interest in golf among young people, as Tiger Woods did in his earlier years. Staub’s father Peter is a local tennis pro. While Peter Staub tried to get his son into tennis at first, Nick always wanted to play golf. These days Nick is home schooled, is learning at an eleventh grade level and plays golf every day.
When Nick Staub has played at Wycliffe, he shoots par…from the blue tees. According to Stebbins, Staub can look at a course and quickly size it up, memorizing every little hill. When Staub putts, he doesn’t look at the ball. He looks at the hole. “He has a phenomenal short game,” says Stebbins. At the age of eight, Staub had already won 65 golf tournaments.
On Tuesday, December 30th, Staub will give a short talk about what makes golf so fun for him and why he loves the sport. The day will also include a junior club fitting and demo presented by US Kids Golf. The event is presented for children and grandchildren of Wycliffe members.