Hart Golfer Takes His Swing at Greatness

Would Tony Gwynn change batting stances during a 30-game hitting streak?

Would Jay Leno change jokes during a funny monologue?

Would Julia Child change recipes during a rising souffle?

Now you understand the dilemma Brian Edick of Hart High encountered last summer.

Edick, 15, won four Southern California Junior Golf Assn. tournaments and had just returned from competing in the U.S. Junior Amateur championship in York, Pa., when his private coach recommended he change his swing.

“It kind of seemed not logical to make the change,” Edick said.

But his coach, Les Johnson, recognized a flaw in Edick’s swing that could have prevented him from becoming a better golfer.

Edick faced a choice. He could keep his swing and remain a one of the best high school golfers in the region, or make a change and try to elevate his game.

There was a risk involved.

“Any time you make big changes, you’re going to get worse before you get better,” Johnson said.

Edick consulted his parents and agreed to change his swing. And just as Johnson warned, Edick’s game soon deteriorated.

A couple months into the change, Edick hit bottom after a miserable round of golf at Knollwood Country Club. His drives kept going left, right and anywhere but straight.

“I’ve never really changed anything this much,” he said. “I’ve never really experienced anything like it. In the beginning, it felt like things were falling apart. I was really frustrated because I felt I was putting in more work than I had been and the results weren’t coming.”

After seven months of practice and fine-tuning, Edick is ready to unveil his new swing during the high school golf season that begins next week.

There’s good news.

“Actually, right now, I’m starting to feel comfortable with the changes,” he said. “I think this is really going to benefit me.”

If all goes as planned, Edick, a sophomore, will be hitting the ball farther and straighter, becoming more consistent.

Before, his pivot and hand positions at the top of his backswing were suspect.

Now Edick puts more weight on his right foot while holding his hands closer to his body on the backswing. The club is low and out on the backswing, with his arms forming a triangle at the top and staying close to his body all the way through the swing.

“It sounds like a lot of changes, but most flow into each other,” Edick said.

Johnson, a teaching pro at Vista Valencia Golf Course, praises his pupil’s talent and courage.

“I think he’s good now and projects as somebody who can get better,” Johnson said. “The sky’s the limit. He made some changes I’m not sure he wanted to make. He gutted it out and I think it’s going to pay dividends.”

For someone who has played golf seriously for only three years, Edick has made impressive strides toward becoming the latest in a long line of Hart standouts.

“I wish I could have his swing,” Hart Coach Dennis Ford said. “He has such a nice tempo in his golf swing. It’s the same every time. He’s very straight off the tee.”

Edick, 5 feet 7 and 135 pounds, is following the path of former Hart standouts Jason Gore, Shane O’Brien, Mike Miller, Jason Semelsberger, Ryan Wyman and Charlie Smith.

“I love just coming out here and seeing how good I can get,” Edick said. “I love going out on the course and seeing how low I can shoot. I love the challenges I’m presented with.”

Edick’s mother, Jan, is an elementary school teacher and his father, Stan, is a pharmacist at Cal State Northridge.

Stan, a scratch golfer, retains bragging rights over his son in one category--holes in one. He has three to Brian’s one. But he never bets his son on the course. If he did, he’d be broke.

“We’re not in the same league,” Stan said.

Edick is confident about his new swing.

“Once I play a few rounds in tournaments, I’m sure the confidence will keep growing and things will get better and better,” he said.

If Edick perfects his swing, give Tiger Woods credit, too. Woods made changes the last few years that have kicked in during his recent domination.

“What he does amazes me and part of that helped me decide to change,” Edick said. “I feel a little more inspired to get better and become as good as I possibly could be.”

*

Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or eric.sondheimer@latimes.com