At age 11, Reese Knox is the youngest golfer practicing his swing on a Thursday evening at the Antler Creek Golf Course driving range in Falcon, Colorado.ìHeís being hard on himself,î said Jason Knox, Reeseís father, as he watched his 11-year-old son align himself with the ball and backswing ó over and over.Reeseís natural talent and skill is evident to even the most uneducated eye; but the talent, coupled with his dedication to golf, has made him an already-accomplished golfer.At the end of July, Reese competed in his first-ever golf tournament, the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour Denver Junior Classic at Kingís Deer Golf Club in Monument, Colorado. He won first place in the boys U10 division of the Denver Junior Classic. Reese shot a round one score of 98; in round two he cut five strokes for a score of 93. His tournament total was 191.The family lives near the golf course, and Reese has been diligent going to the course for the last two years. His father, a former hockey player, encouraged him to get involved with the sport, Reese said.ìWeíd been coming to the golf course, and my dad got me into it,î he said. ìWe would come here to eat, and I would see the golfers, and I just wanted to (play), too,î Reese said.While Reese, who is in the sixth grade at Falcon Middle School, takes the sport seriously, he said it is also about having fun.ìI like having fun and playing with my friends,î Reese said.ìHe plays golf with my friends,î Jason Knox said. ìHe just turned 11 and he sets his alarm for 6:30 (a.m.) to play golf in the summer. I donít know many other 11-year-olds who are doing that.ìI traveled a lot, and it wasnít unusual for my friends to call me and ask if they can take Reese out (to the golf course). Itís not every day you see a lot of kids his age here, and it would be great if there were more kids out there.îKnox is grateful to the other golfers for making young Reese feel welcome.ìTheyíve really made him feel like one of the guys here,î he said.ìThe biggest thing, I think, thatís kept him interested is the people ñ the staff and the members of the course. From a parentís standpoint, we feel thereís always people watching out for him, keeping him safe and being friends to him.îKnox said the sport teaches his son the values of integrity, honesty and hard work.Because of his win in the Denver Junior Classic, Reese will travel to Florida in December to continue playing in the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour.When asked about his upcoming trip to Florida, Reese said, ìIím going to go and have some fun.îìWeíve talked about going into (the tournament) with no expectations,î Knox said. ìReese is getting the opportunity to play in Florida, which heís never done, and learn what itís like to play with other kids who play in tournaments every weekend.îKnox credited the people at the Antler Creek Golf Course for their positive influence on Reese.ìTo see how theyíve adopted my son is awesome,î Knox said. ìItís great to see what theyíve done … and it makes a huge difference.î
