The Inspiration : Young Local Golfers Taking a Long Look Now at Woods--and All That Money

He hit his first golf ball only a few weeks ago and has never been on a golf course, but Jorge Saenz is certain he will beat Tiger Woods some day.

“He is Nike’s good boy, but I’m going to be Nike’s bad boy,” said Saenz, a 14-year-old freshman at Inglewood High. “That’s what I tell my coach, ‘I’m going to eat Tiger for breakfast.’ He’s really good, but when I grow up, he’s not going to be able to beat me.”

Saenz doesn’t know it, but when Woods was 5, he said something similar: “When I get big, I’m going to beat Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson.”

Fifteen years later, the precocious kid has become the target. To be sure, Woods is changing the game. He has been good for business; late-season events that usually struggle to draw spectators were swarmed by Tiger fans.

But it’s hard to say whether Woods’ unprecedented start as a professional has boosted youth participation in the Southland, fertile ground for junior golf. The Southern California PGA has about 1,500 in its junior program, which mostly offers tournaments for accomplished players. SCPGA officials say applications are rising, but that participation trends have been on the upswing for several years.

Dorris Hill, administrative assistant at the LPGA’s Urban Youth Golf Program in Inglewood, says she has heard more requests for applications than usual in the last few weeks.

Empirical proof of Woods’ influence on participation might be limited, but anecdotal evidence is stronger.

Take Saenz, the aspiring Tiger beater. Last Saturday he was sharing a large bucket of balls with five other beginners at Hollywood Park Golf Center. Supervising the group was David Jenkins, who paid for the balls and is helping to start a golf program at Inglewood High.

This group is like a tip of an iceberg, says Jenkins, a 22-year-old who recently moved to Los Angeles from Minneapolis and plans to enroll and play golf at Cal State Dominguez Hills. There are about 25 others from Inglewood High and feeder schools who have expressed interest in playing golf, and about 15 regularly attend weekday sessions on the athletic field.

“It’s in the middle of this concrete jungle on this tiny strip of grass,” Jenkins said. “and they are just hitting for the thrill of seeing the ball rise into flight.

“What we need to do is give them the opportunity to enjoy the scenery and beauty and, most importantly, the peace of mind that a golf course can provide.”

They all know about Woods. Multimillion-dollar contracts tend to draw a lot of attention in these parts, Jenkins said. “Tiger Woods is showing the kids that you don’t have to be in the upper class to play golf,” he said. “He’s showing what can be done. Tiger is as important to golf as Jackie Robinson was to baseball.

“Last year these same guys might not have been as easy to reach because kids want facts.”

Some--such as Saenz and 12-year-old Greg Wilson--have taken to the game quickly. Each has a swing that’s remarkably smooth for a beginner. “Look,” Jenkins said pointing at Wilson’s follow-through, “he’s got that Freddy Couples finish.”

On another part of the driving range, teaching professional Greg Davis is in the middle of a two-hour clinic with about 10 children.

Many have been taking lessons through the LPGA’s junior program for urban youth for a number of years, so Woods’ success has little or nothing to do with their presence at the range.

Most, however, say they know of Woods’ recent exploits. Tiffany Jones, a sixth-grader from Los Angeles, said she and her father often talk about it. “My dad says that he makes a lot of money and that he didn’t get that good by not practicing.”

Kerri Duncan, a 14-year-old freshman at Serra High in Gardena, said she and other young golfers talk about Woods and how much money he is making.

“I look up to him,” Duncan said. “I’m glad he’s made it as a pro at an early age.”

But his success hasn’t caused her to practice more. She’d prefer to concentrate on acting, but realizes that a golf scholarship to college could be in her future.

John Morrison, director of the LPGA urban youth program, said demand is heavy to sign up. There are more than 150 on the waiting list.

For $20 a year, members receive donated equipment if necessary and can play on selected courses or practice at ranges for greatly reduced rates.

It’s one of two major programs in Los Angeles for inner-city youth. The other, Young Golfers of America Assn., serves about 150 junior players. Both aim to ease the financial burden of what can be an expensive game. Woods, Morrison said, is helping their mission.

“Tiger’s opened a lot of eyes that this game should be open to anybody,” Morrison said. “He’s a good role model, and I think the most important thing is he’s 20 and that’s not too far away from these kids.”

When Woods was 14, he gave two clinics at Hollywood Park for Young Golfers of America, said D’Andre White, vice president and co-founder of the organization.

“He put on a demonstration that you would not believe,” White said. “It was unreal. It was mind-boggling. The kids were just baffled at what he could do with a golf ball then.”

Joi Lynn Hart, an aspiring junior from Watts, was at the demonstration. Now 13, she is piling up her own junior golf trophies. She keeps a scrapbook at one of the clinics and now keeps a scrapbook of newspaper and magazine clippings about Woods’ exploits.

L.C. Honore has never seen Woods in person, but the 12-year-old from Gardena has a connection. About 17 years ago, his father, Louis, saw Woods on television and vowed that if he ever had a son he would introduce him to golf.

According to his father, L.C., 5 feet 5 and 120 pounds, hits the ball an average of 240 yards off the tee. His handicap is nine and Louis Honore says his son’s interest level has never been higher. Talking to L.C., it’s clear Woods is a motivational factor.

“I think that he’s really great,” L.C. said. “The way he’s playing now is awesome.

“I want to be better than him. I intend to break all of the records he’s setting right now.”