GOLF : Par Just Isn’t Good Enough : Sunny Hills’ Dustin Schilling Is a Perfectionist

“Oh, get a clue!”

Dustin Schilling is working on his stroke, but at this moment, a golf ball is not the object of his club’s attention.

The club is hitting his bag, the object of punishment whenever Schilling hits a shot that doesn’t please him. His brief outbursts would make a weekend duffer proud.

Schilling, of Sunny Hills High School, is a perfectionist on the golf course, and shanking a drive on the fifth hole at the Los Coyotes Country Club during a recent match has raised his ire.

This all helps to shoot down at least two commonly held beliefs about teen-agers, or at least those who belong to the Sunny Hills golf team.

The first notion is that teen-agers have no tangible goals beyond a tank of gas and two tickets to the next Twisted Sister concert.

Schilling has some specific goals. One is a college scholarship and the education and opportunities it might bring him. His principal method of obtaining that is through his golf clubs.

The second notion is that teen-agers’ standards for anything they consider successful hover somewhere between just making the passing grade and the lowest common denominator.

Not so, Schilling.

Only a junior, Schilling already has earned a reputation as one of the county’s best prep golfers by his lifelong dedication to his sport. Schilling is the type of guy who thinks that a score of 60 is not only possible, but something he should shoot, say, every two or three rounds.

A full gas tank is the least of Schilling’s worries. Before this recent match against Marina, conversation touched upon the senior prom at Sunny Hills, including the limousine he would be taking that would be wrapped around that full gas tank.

On the golf course, however, it’s all business.

Los Coyotes does not easily give up its rewards, but this foursome manages to prove that patience might still be its own reward. Patience is not common among these particular over-achieving teen-agers.

Hence, Schilling’s call to get a clue. Unhappy with a shanked tee shot that eventually will cause him to double-bogey this par-3 hole, it is the only hole on the front nine that Schilling will not par or birdie during this match.

Schilling and teammate Joon Lee are paired with Marina’s Steve Fritschmann and Mike Spongburg during this 18-hole match.

Sunny Hills eventually will win the match, but following the rites of prep golf gives as much insight into how seriously these golfers take their sport as do scores or hours of practice.

We take you now to the seventh hole, where Sunny Hills golf Coach Lyn Boop, trailing the action, describes some of the play.

This being golf, however, you have to speak very, very softly.

Like this?

No, even quieter than that .

Like this ??

There you go--that’s better. It’s probably more quiet out on the seventh hole when Schilling is teeing up a shot than it is when he goes to study in the Sunny Hills library.

On an overcast but comfortable afternoon recently, Boop talked about Schilling.

Whispered Boop:

“This course helps kids like Dustin because he hits it a ton. It really aids the long-ball hitters. He’s got good hip action--he’s an ideally-sized (6-feet, 170 pounds) kid for this sport.

“The thing with these golfers is that their skill level is incredibly high--they’re out here to refine their game, not to learn it.”

Schilling hit a good, fluid drive in the fairway on the 427-yard hole. His second shot put him in close to the green and his third put was 10 feet away.

Schilling then lined up about the, one that he’d make for a par.

Boop whispered: “There are two things to look for on a putt--break and speed, and speed is the most important of the two. If you putt hard enough, break won’t come into play. Even on two-to-three foot putts, our kids will drill it--we want to make sure they hit the back of the cup.”

Sure enough, Schilling dropped this shot, but later confessed that the short game was his weakness.

Said Schilling: “I haven’t had time to putt lately, but I try to put in some time after practice. I try to shoot 9-18 holes a day . . . hit some long balls before and putting after.”

Schilling finished the front nine with a 37, one-over par, the double bogey at No. 5 offsetting the birdie made on No. 1.

Or, as Boop whispered before a drive by Schilling on the last hole:

“I’ve played this course 25-30 times and parred it once. I’d be tickled to death with some of the shots these guys are making.”

Afterward, however, Schilling said he wasn’t particularly happy with the round. He said he knew he could do not only better, but much better.

High school golf. Get a clue.