Young golfers stay
on course this summer
By Glae Thien
Rancho Buena Vista High junior Marco Gomez plans to play golf and more golf this summer. So does Torrey Pines High senior James Erkenbeck, who will play a stepped-up tournament schedule on his way to college.
For years, the two have been honing their game on golf courses during the summer, with the results reflected during the high school season in the spring. Gomez won the San Diego Section title last month, and Erkenbeck helped his team reach the Southern California Regional after advancing to the state finals as an individual a year ago.
“In the summers, I’ve always been consistently busy (with golf),” Gomez said. “But I don’t feel pressured to play tournaments. I enjoy playing them a lot. So the more, the merrier.”
Erkenbeck, who is bound for the University of New Mexico, recalls taking no break longer than three days over the last past three years while playing the same type of schedule that Gomez and other underclassmen have planned for this summer.
“That (break) felt like a long time to me,” Erkenbeck said. “If I took three days off in the winter, I wouldn’t notice the difference because I’m not playing that much, but when I take three days off in the summer, the club feels way different to me. Heavier or lighter, it just feels different.”
The busy tournament schedule doesn’t leave much time for practice, so the high school season can represent a final tuneup for the summer.
“I have a couple of weeks to get as good as I can get, then whatever happens, happens,” Gomez said. “I’m just going to try my best, trying to get better every day.”
During summer tournaments, too, junior Junior golfers are more likely to be seen by college coaches on the lookout for recruits during summer tournaments.

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