1994 Prep Golf Preview : Huntington Beach’s Farley Balances Game, Other Interests

Even for a serious young golfer such as Jeff Farley, the distractions of this town can be tempting.

And though Farley, a junior at Huntington Beach High, isn’t usually one to head to the beach instead of the practice range, he is learning that the normal tugs of adolescence can be disconcerting when you are trying to be the best young golfer you can be.

Now there other pastimes to compete with golf for his spare time. Homework takes more time than it used to. Not all of his friends play golf, so socializing could take him away from the links. So could the car detailing business he and a friend started. Then there’s his passion for collecting alternative music.

“As you get older there are more and more distractions,” Farley said. “I know I just got interested in girls and that’s a big one.”

But Farley says he’s on his way to finding a comfortable balance--one that will allow him to be a somewhat typical teen-ager and still excel at the sport he loves.

“I’ve learned I have to get my life straight in terms of school and my spiritual life,” Farley said. “I have to have the other parts of my life in line and then golf will fall into place.”

A well-adjusted Farley could mean trouble for the Sunset League. As a sophomore last season, he won the league’s individual title and helped the Oilers to a second-place finish in league.

The success came amid a prolonged slump that he believes he has been able to kick after about 1 1/2 years. If he has, he has a decent shot at becoming the league’s first consecutive champion since Huntington Beach’s Mike Ivy won four titles from 1977 to 1980.

It was his short game--specifically short wedge shots--that abandoned him during the slump. The problem was compounded by the way he dealt with mistakes.

“I was making a big issue over a couple of bad shots and letting it control my game,” Farley said.

It made for a long summer. He wasn’t accepted to any of the national junior tournaments that many of his peers competed in and instead played inconsistently in local tournaments.

Finally, he enlisted the help of David Wright, a teaching professional and sports psychologist who lives in Coto de Caza. Farley learned of Wright from another top high school golfer, his close friend Chris Berry of Esperanza. Wright also has worked with Santa Margarita’s Kellee Booth and several LPGA and PGA players.

Farley said Wright has helped him focus on his game.

“I’ve been struggling with the mental side of the game,” Farley said. “It’s been quite a battle, but I think once I have overcome it, it’s just going to make me a stronger player.”

Farley already has seen improvement. In December, he finished second at a national tournament in Palm Desert and is hopeful that he has gained momentum entering the high school season.

But Farley, who recently turned 17, is still guarding against the distractions of youth. He follows a daily schedule that Wright helped him prepare to maximize success in golf and the classroom. Farley rises early to attend his first class at 7 a.m. so he can have the afternoon free for about 3 1/2 hours of practice. Five-thirty to 8 p.m. has been blocked out for dinner and studying with the rest of the evening free for running and associating with friends.

When Farley first picked up the sport, he never needed to plan his day around playing golf--many of his days were entirely dedicated to the game.

He was one of those kids who played from first to last light. He and Esperanza’s Berry became friends at Oasis Country Club in Palm Desert and they often played more than 72 holes a day on the par-60 course.

It was a competitive friendship. Neither liked to lose--even when it was only low-stakes bets on the putting green.

“We would just sit out there for hours and putt,” Berry said. “I think we made each other really good players. I think being around each other helped.”

After a successful summer in 1992--including a 11th place finish at an AJGA event in Nashville--Farley appeared poised for further breakthroughs. But then he was hit by the intermittent slump.

“He just lost confidence,” Huntington Beach Coach Bill Seckington said. “Especially in his short game. Golf is such a mental game. When you lose confidence in your swing, you get in trouble. Instead of letting it overwhelm him, he went back to some basics and now he’s playing really good again.”

Golf at a Glance

Top Players: Alicia Allison, Foothill, Sr.; Chris Berry, Esperanza, Sr.; Kellee Booth, Santa Margarita, Sr.; Sean Brocklebank, El Modena, Jr.; Ryan Chavez, El Dorado, Sr.; Kelly Craig, Santa Margarita, Fr.; Ryan Donovan, Esperanza, So.; Jeff Farley, Huntington Beach, Jr.; Jay Finnane, Villa Park, Sr.; Ben Garner, El Toro, Sr.; Jason Gross, San Clemente, So.; Jason Henderson, Esperanza, Sr.; Greg Johnson, San Clemente, Jr.; Scott Jordan, Mater Dei, Jr.; Peter Krutzik, Estancia, So.; Mike Lauder, Servite, So.; John Lee, Valencia, Jr.; Wally Luciano, Servite, Sr.; Jeff McGraw, Servite, So.; Chris Moscoe, Loara, Sr.; Ross Necessary, Estancia, So.; Jeremy Niednagel, Dana Hills, Sr.; Terry Noe, Sunny Hills, So.; Andy Noss, El Dorado, Sr.; Jin Park, Sunny Hills, Fr.; Mike Perry, Estancia, So.; Mike Peterson, Brea-Olinda, Sr.; Kevin Rodgers, Trabuco Hills, Sr.; Billy Sarracino, Corona del Mar, So.; David Searle, Edison, Sr.; Matt Sisneros, Pacifica, Jr.; Matt Sisneros, Pacifica, Jr.; Matt Stafford, Los Amigos, Jr.; Dan Syhre, El Dorado, Sr.; Mike Tuton, San Clemente, Sr.; Steve Wagner, Santa Margarita, So.; Tiger Woods, Western, Sr., defending Southern Section individual champion; Alex Yi, La Quinta, Jr.; Bret Yunker, Los Alamitos, Sr.

League Favorites: Century: Villa Park. Empire: Esperanza. Garden Grove: Pacifica. Orange: Brea-Olinda. Pacific Coast: Estancia. Sea View: Santa Margarita. South Coast: San Clemente. Sunset: Huntington Beach.

1993 Final Poll: 1. Trabuco Hills, 2. Santa Margarita, 3. Esperanza, 4. Huntington Beach, 5. Sunny Hills, 6. Servite, 7. Corona del Mar, 8. Estancia, 9. San Clemente, 10. Brea-Olinda.

Key Dates: Freelance qualifying, California Country Club, Whittier, May 2; Northern Regional (for freelance qualifiers), Rancho Maria Golf Course, Santa Maria, May 9; Southern Regional, Green River Golf Club, Corona, May 10; Southern Section team championship, Canyon Country Club, Palm Springs, May 16; Southern Section individual championship, La Cumbre Golf and Country Club, Santa Barbara, May 23; CIF-Southern California Golf Assn. team and individual championships, Redlands Country Club, June 6.

Notes: Trabuco Hills, which won the 1992 CIF-SCGA title and finished fifth last year, returns one player. Coach Gary Sabella said he expects the lineup to include three or four sophomores and one freshman: “We’re going to be a lot better than people think, even though we lost a lot of players.” . . . Western’s Tiger Woods accepted the Dial Award, for the nation’s top boys’ high school scholar-athlete, Jan. 15 at the Touchdown Club in Washington. The award came with a $5,000 donation to Western.