www.globalgolfpost.com
JUNE 25, 2012
Father-Son Pro Duo Lives A Dream
JOHN STEINBREDER
E-MAIL JOHN
Jack Seltzer felt pretty good about
qualifying last year for the 2012 PGA
Professional National Championship.
After all, the 61-year-old had shot a
1-under 71 for his third and final round
at the Eagle Eye Golf Club in Bath Township, Mich., to make it into the event by a
stroke. Even though his drives often were
40 yards shorter than other competitors.
Even though it had been 19 years since
he had last qualified for a PNC, which is
the showcase tournament for PGA club
professionals.
Seltzer felt a real sense of accomplishment when he considered what he had
done. But what moved the man who now
works as an instructor at the Kendall Golf
Academy in Ypsilanti, Mich., even more
deeply was the realization that he was not
going to the championship alone. For there
on that same list of qualifiers, four strokes
better and a bit higher up the leaderboard,
was his 33-year-old son, John.
That means the Seltzers are in Northern California together this week, vying
with 310 other players at Bayonet Black-horse in the Monterey Peninsula town
of Seaside for that prestigious title. No
father-son duo ever has played the same
year in the PNC, which is being contested
for the 45th time. And no one appreciates
how unique and special that achievement
is better than the Seltzers.
“It’s a dream come true,” says Jack,
who first put a club in John’s hands when
his son was 2 and still remembers when
the kid beat him for the first time, at age
15. “It’s a big, big deal for me.”
Son John, head professional at The
Polo Fields Golf and Country Club in Ann
Arbor, Mich., is just as enthused. “It’s not
something I ever expected to happen,” he
says. “Especially with Dad being 61. He’s
a great player, but it was quite an accom-
plishment for him to qualify for the PNC at
his age. He’s the one who got me interest-
ed in the game. He’s the one who taught
me how to play. Now, we are playing in
this tournament together.”
This tournament is turning out to be
quite a family affair for the Seltzers. Jack’s
caddie is his daughter Stacey, while John’s
is his finance, Amanda, who carried for
him at last year’s PNC. Other friends and
family, including Jack’s wife of 40 years,
Pam, are making the trip. Father and son
played practice rounds together in the days
leading up to the tournament. And two days
after the PNC is over, John and Amanda
are getting married, in a private ceremony
at a restaurant in the Carmel area, with a
total of 20 people in attendance.
Jack (seated) and John Seltzer
plan the wedding, and to think about playing in the PNC together. They secured their
spots last August in the Section Championship at Eagle Eye. Father and son found
themselves in the same group for the third
and final round, and it marked the first
time they were paired in competition.
“They were taking the top 12 for the
PNC, and John and I were both tied for
35th at that time, at 148,” says Jack. “We
were the first group off of No. 10 that day,
and we figured it would take 68 to qualify.”
John Seltzer played lights out, shooting
a 5-under, bogey-free round of 67. And, in
many ways, his stellar play made it easier
for his father.
“I was watching him, as any Dad would
watch his son, and enjoying how well he
was hitting the ball and scoring,” Jack
says. “That meant I wasn’t paying much
attention to my game.
“At least until I got to the last hole.
Then, I realized I was 1 under.”
As one of the first players in, Jack Selt-
zer had quite a bit of waiting to do before
he could be sure of his fate. Three hours,
to be exact. He noticed the course was
playing hard. And he saw that the scores
were high. High enough that his 71 got
him in.
“I’ve been able to do some very cool
things in golf,” says Jack Seltzer, reflecting on a career that has included playing
in 15 PNCs as well as five PGA Championships and eight Senior PGAs. “But I have
never experienced anything in golf as good
as this.” l
