Stars of Tomorrow

Filed in archive Golf News on January 15, 2009

Katie-Jane Stanley. Photo courtesy of Middleton Guardian

I tell ya, I wish I was a kid again. I'd take up the game of golf at the age of 9.

And I'd soak it up like a sponge.

Have you ever seen a 9 year old swing a driver like a pro? Okay, if you saw Tiger Woods at age 3 on the Johnny Carson show, I'll give you that.

The thing about kids is they have no barriers to learning. Adults do. We know beforehand how difficult something is and so we create that reality.

But not kids.

It took a while to produce, but there's a heartwarming 10 minute video on YouTube that features the winners of Talent Hunt, a U.K.-based competition for the best girl and boy golfer in the northwest of England that was held in November of last year.

9-year old Katie-Jane Stanley (cute as a button) and 12 year old Jake Williams were selected by a team of judges, including the absolutely drop-dead gorgeous Charlotte Jackson from Setanta TV Sports.

Both Katie-Jane and Jake possess what I can only call "natural swings" - the sort of swing you might get when you stop telling yourself golf is hard.