What Separated Spieth, Scheffler and Zalatoris as Juniors

Golf Digest Best in State teacher Jeff Isler watched Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris come up through Texas junior golf. What set them apart was not their swings.

In this clip from Episode 66 of The Golf Parent, Jeff talks about his first close look at a 15-year-old Jordan Spieth in a practice round at the state tournament. He missed a 45-foot putt, tapped in, and was mad about it. Then, on a hole where Jeff had watched player after player try to draw the ball around a dogleg, Jordan teed up on the opposite side of the box and found a line nobody else had used.

Jeff saw the same pattern again with a 13 or 14-year-old Will Zalatoris and a young Scottie Scheffler. They were mature on the course and had a golf IQ beyond their age. Some were almost obsessed with the game at an early age.

His point for parents: most juniors improve at about the same rate. If you want to play in college, you have to separate from the group, and that takes building technical, tactical, physical and mental skills together. A weakness in any one of them holds a player back.

Watch the full episode: youtu.be/mACgxlS86yo

Chapters
0:00 Meeting Jordan Spieth at 12
1:30 The practice round that showed his golf IQ
2:20 First look at Will Zalatoris
2:50 A young Scottie Scheffler
3:13 Why it’s not the golf swing
3:50 How juniors separate from the pack

Learn more about Jeff Isler Golf: jeffislergolf.com

The Golf Parent talks with the best minds in junior golf, including coaches, sport psychologists, tour parents and college recruiters, to find out what it takes to raise great kids on the course and off it.