BOSSERT REAPS REWARDS OF HARD WORK ON JR. TOUR
Shaving seven strokes off his average, teen learns to practise ‘with a purpose’
Last year was a huge breakout season for Fort Saskatchewan’s Jarrett Bossert, who saw his tournament scoring average drop all the way from 83 to 76.
“It was a big improvement,” said Bossert, 17, who plays out of the Belvedere Golf Club, listing several reasons that led to his precipitous development.
“In no particular order, I’ve learned how to practise, I’m hitting the ball a lot farther, I started working out with a personal trainer and I’ve got a very good swing coach in Cam Martens.”
The latter three are certainly tied together with the personal trainer giving him more core strength and flexibility; and Martens lengthening his swing, which has given him more clubhead speed.
“I used to hit the ball about 250 yards with my driver, which isn’t bad, but now I’ve added 40 to 50 yards.”
Instead of having to hit a lot of long irons into Par 4s, Bossert is now attacking the greens with short and middle irons, which obviously makes the game easier to play.
“My swing used to be pretty short but working with Cam he’s got me bringing the club back parallel to just past parallel.”
But the practise component has been just as significant.
“I used to go out and just bang balls. Now I’m practising with a purpose.”
It all added up to not only playing much better, but two victories on McLennan Ross Junior Golf Tour, which gave him Order of Merit honours in his age bracket.
The victories came at two of Alberta’s toughest courses: Black Bull and Goose Hummock.
Bossert, who also had two seconds, two thirds and a fourth on the McLennan Ross Tour presented by Crowe-MacKay, is a big fan of the junior development tour, entering its 23rd season.
“This is my fifth season on the tour. I highly suggest it for anyone who wants to get into tournament golf. I think just about every junior in Alberta starts out on that tour. They put the building blocks in place,” Bossert said of the tour, which has 23 events across the province.
SETTING THE SCENE
It was a pretty good week for the Derrick’s Jenna Bruggeman, who finished third in the Canadian Junior Golf Association Junior at RedTail Landing (84-78) just two strokes back of Calgary’s Annabelle Ackroyd in the U-19 junior girls’ division. Then, Bruggeman finished third again, this time in the PGA of Alberta’s Junior Masters at Wolf Creek (83-76) in the 14-andunder division.
Also in the Junior Masters, Royal Mayfair’s Alyshia Suleman got it together with a second round 74 to finish second in the 18-and-under division.
In the boys’ 18-and-under division Ethan de Graff, also of the Royal Mayfair, shot rounds of 71-70, which was good for second place.
St. Albert’s Connor Ackroyd (79-75) and Edmonton’s Nicholas Mah (77-77) tied for third in the junior boys’ division of the Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour at Fairmont Banff Springs.
The holes-in-one continue to pour in.
But how about two aces from the same golfer in a span of 12 days?
That’s what Lee Schoepp recently accomplished at The Links in Spruce Grove.
The first of those two aces came on May 6 when she holed out from 120 yards with a 6-iron on The Links’ 11th hole. Less than two weeks later she did it again, this time with a 7-iron from 112 yards on No. 14.
“The pro shop has started calling me Aces,” said Schoepp, who now has four career aces.
“Four more than my husband,” she said of Don Toth, a former PGA of Alberta pro, who taught for several years at Victoria and the Edmonton Country Club before becoming a real estate agent.
“After I got the second ace, he just turned to me and said, ‘No more tips for you,’” said Schoepp.
Elsewhere, there were three holes-in-one at Glendale: Brent Saive on No. 16 from 190 yards with a big 5-iron; Kyle Cooper on No.7 with an even bigger 6-iron from 202 yards and Mark Olivieri with another big 6-iron from 194 yards on No. 7.
Three aces at Victoria as well: Murray Connors on No. 12; Wayne Omoth with a pitching wedge from 92 yards on No. 12 and Kris Dutchak on No. 8 from 160 yards with a 3-wood.
More at Coloniale both on No. 11 both with pitching wedges: Bongja Won from 106 yards and Paul Gilewichwith from 145 yards.
At Fort-in-View, Aly Raynor used a 4-hybrid from 119 yards on Clark No. 4.
And, at Pipestone Links golf course in Millet, Sherry Tracey aced No. 7 from 116 yards with a 7-iron.