Hale Irwin Speaks to Junior Golfers at CommonGround

“This is great for golf in Colorado.”

Jeff Florence

On June 1, two days before his 70th birthday, Hall of Fame golfer Hale Irwin stood before more than 100 kids representing the future of golf at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora.

“Playing badly isn’t fun but you also need to accept loss,” he told them. “You’ll need to learn to play with other, better players. Find out what makes you tick and you’ll play better.”

On June 2, 96 of those kids—among the best junior players in the country—teed off in the inaugural AJGA Hale Irwin Junior. The field for the three-day, 54-hole no-cut tournament consisted of both boys and girls divisions.

In the boys division, 16-year-old Reese Ramsey of Austin, Texas, would go on to win the three-day event, setting a course record with a 10-under-par 61 on the final day. That tied the low round in the AJGA's 37-year history. His 9-under-par 204 edged Idaho's Sam Tidd by two strokes.

Two strokes also separated Sydney Youngblood, of Durant, Oklahoma from Ellie Szeryk of Allen Texas.

Photo: Crowd listens to Hale Irwin speak at CommonGround in Aurora

The event was an overall victory for Colorado golf.

“The AJGA is the most important junior tour in the country,” said Ed Mate, executive director of the Colorado Golf Association—a tournament partner that is currently celebrating 100 years. “This is great for golf in Colorado.” The American Junior Golf Association is the premier junior golf tour in the country. PGA superstars, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson are all alumni of the prestigious tour. 

Among the AJGA members, the field consisted of local Hale Irwin Elite Players. Founded by the CGA in 2012, the program allows junior Colorado golfers resource access to better their golf game. “I saw Hale Irwin’s name on the email and I knew that I had to get involved,” said Roger Nakagawa, a member of the program. “He is a legend and the program allowed me to around golf a lot more to lead to different opportunities.”

After a storied and very successful career on the PGA Tour—including three US Open wins and five appearances on the U.S. Ryder Cup team—Irwin stood on the practice green the night before the kids teed off and spoke to them about what they can do to, not only win the tournament, but to succeed in golf and life. “Your skill set doesn’t matter,” he told them. “What you do with those skills is what matters. Find out who you are. Learn your element and you’ll make a living by knowing your element.”

He followed his talk with a demonstration of his putting and short game. He went through his pre-shot routines while occasionally joking around with the kids in attendance.  “Have quality over quantity,” he told them. “I’d take a dozen good putts over 30 minutes of bad practice.”

Irwin was born in Missouri and raised in southeastern Kansas where he learned the game of golf by playing on sand greens. He moved to Boulder, Colorado where he attended high school and eventually college at the University of Colorado.

While during his time in Colorado, Irwin won three consecutive CGA Stroke Play Championships between 1963-65. In 66 he won the CGA Match Play Championship. As a star in both football and golf at CU, Irwin earned two All-Big Eight defensive back honors in football. During his senior year in 1967, he won the NCAA division I Championship in golf. He turned pro the following year.

“Those are all good accomplishments,” he said. “ But I’m most proud of my family.” In 2003, Hale and his son, Steve, won the Office Depot Father/Son Challenge—a tournament for PGA and Champions tour players to compete with their sons.

Currently, Irwin is working on building his legacy, which includes spending time with his family and investing time to the future of the game. “I want to pass on some of the stuff I’ve learned,” he said. “If you want to learn a lesson about yourself, it’s in golf.”

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.