Golfer Would Rather Tee Up Than Tee Off : CdM’s Waldrup Learns to Control Temper

John Waldrup, one of Orange County’s best prep golfers, thinks that if he practices enough, he might start breaking course records instead of chandeliers and golf clubs.

But it’s been six months since Waldrup has broken a club in anger, and twice as long since he’s broken a light. These days, he is channeling his energy toward practice--about 35 hours a week.

Waldrup, No. 1 in the 1985 Southern California Junior rankings, can be found either at the Irvine Coast Country Club, Corona del Mar High School’s home course, or in his family’s backyard, swinging away.

He used to practice in his bedroom, but was relegated to the backyard after breaking a chandelier. And his mother, Charlene, insisted that a net be erected in the backyard so stray balls won’t do any more damage to the house.

His mother gets credit for saving the house from further damage, but Eddie Merrins, UCLA golf coach, gets an assist. Merrins has helped Waldrup, 16, with his biggest problem--his temper.

Before taking lessons from Merrins at the Bel Air Country Club, Waldrup was an angry young man.

“I have a little temper,” admitted Waldrup, who has broken his share of clubs during practice.

An example of his old ways:

“During one practice, I kept doing the same thing wrong repeatedly,” Waldrup recalled. “I was working on my four-iron shots, and one was fading and one was hooking. Nothing was consistent, so I just hooked it (threw the club).”

He’s not likely to act so impulsively these days. During spring break at the Southern California High School team golf tournament, in which the Sea Kings finished fourth, Waldrup shot a 79 and had more bogeys than he expected. Although disappointed with his score, he didn’t get mad.

Corona del Mar’s No. 1 golfer has learned from Merrins that anger can affect him in one of two ways.

“If you let it outside, it will hurt you,” Waldrup said, “but if you keep it inside, it will help you. I used to think the opposite.”

Waldrup’s father, Larry, has noticed a difference in his son’s game since he began his coaching sessions with Merrins last September.

“I can see he’s taken some strokes off and (Merrins) really has helped his temperament,” Larry Waldrup said.

Said Merrins: “Every situation has a negative aspect. If you have a three-foot putt to hole, there’s a chance you can miss. You have to seek out the positive aspects of the situation.”

Merrins has not seen Waldrup compete, but is tuned in to his scores, which have been improving. In November, Waldrup played in a tournament at Florida and didn’t fare so well. But in March, during a national tournament at Houston, he finished 12th of 150 golfers.

Merrins, who is in his 10th year of coaching at UCLA, said Waldrup’s family and friends play a big part in the golfer’s success.

Waldrup’s closest friends, including girlfriend Shelly Michael, all golf. Waldrup’s father took up golf after his son showed an interest in the sport. His parents try to watch their son compete as often as possible.

“That’s a big plus,” Merrins said.

Waldrup was introduced to golf four years ago by his best friend, Colby Lind, who is Corona del Mar’s No. 2 player. The two were at Palm Springs with Colby’s father when Lind coaxed Waldrup into trying the game.

“I said ‘John, let’s play golf,’ ” Lind recalled. “He didn’t even want to play. He said, ‘No, let’s not go play.’ We went out and played and he liked it all of a sudden, and then he started playing every day.”

Waldrup practiced at a driving range awhile, and at the end of that year the family joined Irvine Coast Country Club. Waldrup practices at the Newport Beach club every day after school, and sometimes before school. He also spends his weekends on the course, whether or not the weather’s permitting. If it is raining, he just dons a raincoat and continues swinging.

“The wind bothers me more than the rain because it’s harder to play in,” Waldrup said.

With Waldrup and Lind, Corona del Mar is 13-0 overall and 3-0 in league. Sea King Coach Herb Wilson said he thinks his team can remain undefeated.

Waldrup’s ambitions, however, go a bit further, like one of his wood drives.

“Do you want to know what some of my goals are?” he asks.

Hardly waiting for an answer, he rattled, “In school, they have Sea View Individuals, and I want to win that. I’d like our team to win the Sea View league, and I’d like to win CIF, team and state.

“In Southern California junior golf this summer, there are north-south matches and they take the top 10 point leaders. I want to play in that. They have Hogan Cup matches and I’d like to play in that. That’s like the top five in Southern California.

“Nationally, I’ll probably play in six or seven tournaments, maybe eight. I’d like to place in the top 10 about five times, the top five once or twice and maybe win one of them. That’s what I’d like to do.”

Waldrup said he thinks his goals are attainable if he works at them. In the meantime, he is gaining experience in tournament play. Besides Florida and Texas, Waldrup also has played in tournaments at Louisiana, Nevada and New Mexico.

One day he just might break one of those tournament records, now that he’s given up breaking golf clubs.