11-year-old with natural golf skills keeps it fun

By Tom Robinson

For Dallas Post

Logan Paczewski lines up a shot on the green.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_logan-golf-790.jpg.optimal.jpgLogan Paczewski lines up a shot on the green.

In addition to excelling on the golf course, Logan Paczewski plays travel basketball and made the Back Mountain American Little League all-star team.
https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_DP_Logan-Paczewski.jpg.optimal.jpgIn addition to excelling on the golf course, Logan Paczewski plays travel basketball and made the Back Mountain American Little League all-star team.

DALLAS – Logan Paczewski is way ahead of schedule, but he’s not changing his pace of play.

The 11-year-old from Dallas is competing well with – and, in one notable case, beating – many of the top high school-aged golfers in northeastern Pennsylvania. When it comes to playing against players his own age, Paczewski competes with the best in the world each year.

The early success, however, is not altering Paczewski’s approach.

“I just want to keep playing well, shoot some good scores and have fun,” Paczewski said.

Paczewski still makes plenty of time for other sports, most regularly baseball, basketball, soccer and skiing. He enjoys being on the golf course to play as much as possible, but not going to the practice range to simply hit balls. Although he clearly has shown uncommon skill in the game at a young age, there are no swing coaches or lengthy practice regimens.

Golf is just one more enjoyable game for Paczewski. It just happens to be the one for which he has shown the most affinity at an early age.

“I don’t really know why, but golf just comes naturally to me,” said Paczewski, who has had just a few professional lessons. There have not been any major swing constructions or reconstructions.

The summer of 2015 has been one of a transition for Paczewski.

Because he started golf so young – he began learning the game from his father, Eric, at 6 years old – Paczewski first played by teeing off from a spot on the fairway rather than playing holes at their full length. Before this summer, he often started from the red (women’s) tees. A casual round these days might find Paczewski at the senior tees, halfway between standard women’s and men’s tees.

The Anthracite Golf Association, which runs youth golf events throughout the region each summer, allowed Logan to start early in its Division II, generally for players ages 11-14. By the time he was 9, Paczewski was a dominant force in those nine-hole events.

After discussing the idea for last summer, the AGA and the Paczewski family talked again before this year and agreed to advance Logan to Division I four years early. On the AGA’s Lawler Tour, he would play weekly 18-hole summer events from the men’s tees against players as old as 18, in many cases established high school players and even some recent high school graduates.

The longer tees make Paczewski play a different game than most of his opponents. They generally hit the ball much farther than he does, causing him to hit more full shots with longer clubs. His precision, however, has allowed Paczewski to keep up.

The Lawler Tour began with modest goals for Paczewski. He wanted to prove he could compete by finishing in the top five in one event something that would qualify him to make it to the Tournament of Champions, which was held this week at Emanon and Elmhurst Country Clubs.

Paczewski did more than compete.

In just his second Division I attempt, in wet conditions on the lengthy Wilkes-Barre Golf Club, he shot 1-over-par, 73 to win the title in the 48-player field.

“I executed every single putt,” Paczewski said of the June day when everything fell together. “I was lights-out from inside 10 feet. I was making everything.”

Making putts of that range is something Paczewski often has to do to keep up with older players after it takes him longer to get to the greens.

“I can barely reach the greens,” he said. “I usually hit driver, 3-wood, sand wedge and try to get up-and-down for par.

“That’s what I usually do.”

The Paczewskis have a family membership at Irem Temple Country Club. When Logan picked up golf so quickly as a beginner, they found Philadelphia Region events that serve as qualifiers for the U.S. Kids World Championships as a place for Logan to play with other golfers his age.

For each of the last six years, Paczewski has scored enough points with his strong performances in the Philadelphia area to earn a chance to compete in the World Championships in Pinehurst, N.C.

Paczewski, who finished fourth in the 7-and-under boys in 2011 and ninth in the 8-and-under boys in 2012, shot 77-75-79 to finish tied for 66th out of a 158-player field of 11-year-olds at his most recent U.S. Kids World Championship July 30-August 1.

After coming out of the first round tied for seventh among the top 21 Division I players at the AGA’s Tournament of Champions Monday, Paczewski had his toughest day of the season in the second round to drop back in the pack.

With the World Championships and the Lawler Tour behind him, Paczewski will be back to the friendly rounds of game, many still from those men’s tees as he plays with older players he has gotten to know this summer. Sixth grade at the Dallas Middle School is ahead, as are other sports.

Paczewski still has one big event left on the golf calendar. He will play this fall in the Seaview Open in New Jersey, a U.S. Kids-affiliated event, where he was the 8-and-under champion three years ago.

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