Rice signee
I just noticed we signed a golfer from Wisconsin. Here is the essay that's dicussed in his bio:
Who is the best putter you know?
Erik Mayer, a senior at Appleton (Wis.) East High School, won the essay contest contest for the AJGA’s HP Scholastic Junior All-America Team. Candidates were required to submit an essay no longer than [/i]400 words on the topic, “A Day I’ll Never
Forget... .” This is his winning entry, entitled “Who Is The Best Putter You Know?”:
By ERIK MAYER
I’ll never forget the day I met Jerry. It was a typical Wisconsin winter day, the snow was falling and I could see my breath in the air. Despite the weather and two-hour drive, I was thrilled about spending the day at the Golf Dome.
I first noticed Jerry when I was warming up. He was working with a mini-tour player, and the player seemed to be making every putt. Later I learned that Jerry was not only a putting instructor, he was an author, inventor and respected businessman. After the lesson ended, Jerry watched me hit wedges, eventually asking me, “Who is the best putter you know?”
“Ben Crenshaw,” I answered without hesitation.
“Who is the best putter you know?” he asked again. Before I could answer, he said, “You are.” So began our relationship.
That Saturday we worked together for four hours, as I practiced putting and chipping, we talked about life. After the lesson I felt fantastic about myself, my future and my golf game.
The next week we worked on my short game, and more importantly, my mental game.
“On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your putting?” Jerry asked.
“Seven,” I answered.
“If you believe you are a seven, you’ll never be a ten,” Jerry said. Jerry’s passion for the game inspired me.
Despite the distance, we worked together throughout the summer. Sessions always began with, “Who is the best putter you know?”
Jerry never let me pay for a lesson, he emphasized the importance of giving back to society and to the game of golf. As we worked on focus, concentration and attitude, we discussed academics, community service and my golf aspirations.
Last October, Jerry told me he had cancer. When his grandchildren asked him if he was going to die, he responded, “No, I’m going to fight. But if God needs a putting lesson”
Throughout his illness, Jerry and I talked on his good days. We talked candidly about everything from my dreams to his disease, but somehow the conversation always returned to golf. As we talked, I felt myself growing up.
Jerry died in May. Although Jerry is gone, his passion lives on in the junior golfers, like me, that he influenced. Thanks to Jerry, I will always be the best putter I know.
Posted: 10/10/2007
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