The golf swing of Jack Cantin will evolve, as he grows and matures, over time.
For now, however, the five year-old Sudbury youth is more than happy to leave well enough alone.
For the second time in his career – assuming one can use that term when dealing with one so young – Cantin has been recognized for the natural inherent fluidity and efficiency of his golf swing, capturing the Little Linksters Best Peewee Golf Swing in the World contest a month or so ago.
Run by Linksters Academy at Wekiva Golf Club in Longwood (Florida) and requiring registrants to simply submit videos of their respective golf swing, the 2023 contest was judged by the likes of LPGA pro and 2013 British Open champion Stacy Lewis, PGA pro Sam Ryder and up and coming pro Alexa Pano.
“Jack has tremendous natural movement for someone so young,” acknowledged his father, Eric, stopping by the Idylwylde recently with his wife (Maxine Vaillant) and the couple’s only child.
“He has decent flexibility – but he can put everything together really well. He learned the stance and the grip first and then we kind of built on that, one piece at a time.”
At the age of just two, a golf video of the northern lad went viral, with the senior kindergarten student at R.L. Beattie Public School now a little more talkative about some of what underlies the swing that appears to fit him like a glove.
“I take my time on my swing – and before the swing,” said the youngster. “I have to hit harder with some clubs. My driver is the hardest one that I can hit. When it’s on the tee, I can crush it more. But my swing is mostly the same for every club except the wedges and the putter.”
While he has participated in a handful of nine-hole tournaments for kids that adjust course length to less or slightly less than a standard course – Cantin suggested that when he connects nicely, he can drive the ball 100 yards or so – the reality is that it’s hard to take the kid out of the kid.
“My favourite place to be is either in the bunker or the junk,” he said with a smile. “I like when I get to hit it in the sand. I have to get right under the ball so that it flies out. Sometimes it takes me a couple of shots to get out.”
While his father admitted that the early teachings of golf were mostly parental, he also noted that they have definitely tapped into some folks who are more than familiar with ultra-young golf prodigies and how to create a development pathway that is fun-filled and constantly accentuates the love of the game.
“We’re not professional golfers by any means,” said Eric. “The trick with the golf swing is trying to let him own his own swing, without molding him too much – all while trying to keep the fundamentals.”
“If you look at any of the videos of his more recent swings, his backswing is getting a little longer,” dad continued. “When he was first starting, he couldn’t get his arms all the way back, just because they’re so small.”
And lest the average adult golfer wallow in despondency when watching the youth excel, rest assured Jack Cantin is likely to work his game, over time, much like the hundreds of locals who take to the course with regularity each and every summer.
“When I hit it straight, it stays straight,” said Jack. “But sometimes I don’t hit it straight and it goes crooked.”
It’s those moments when we are reminded that Jack and his classmates have only just been introduced to a full day of school.
“We try out best to remember that he’s five years old,” said Eric. “He may drop the game altogether next year. Who knows? We try and make sure that we play games while teaching the fundamentals.”
“The PGA Tour is not really the goal of it all,” Cantin expanded. “It’s developing important life skills through golf: work ethic, etiquette, all of the things that golf can teach. It’s a great sport for any kid and one of the few sports that we can play together for the rest of our lives.”
And in time, it might well be that Jack is the one providing the swing suggestions to Eric.
