Promising golfer, 7, is having a ball

Father of zhu he, who has made a hole-in-one, says son just enjoys playing the game

At the age of 7, Beijing boy Zhu He has already risen to fame among golf lovers in China.

He has spent more days on the fairways than most of his peers, traveling at home and abroad to play the sport he loves.

He is often the youngest golfer to attend local, national or international children's golf games, and has won trophies that are larger than his two fists clenched together.

Zhu He played his first golf game when he was 4, in a youth golf tournament organized by China CITIC Bank. Zhu Zhizhen, his father, remembers vividly how the youngster teed up for the game.

There were about 100 people attending the event, and they were all astonished when the little boy appeared on the tee, and swung his club, Zhu Zhizhen recalls.

When the boy made his first hole-in-one during a warm-up for the World Championship of US Kids Golf last year, he remained calm, although his father was overwhelmed with joy.

"He just enjoys playing golf, and doesn't care about winning or losing," Zhu Zhizhen says. "I am not anxious for him to grow into a golfing pro. I just want to provide him with the necessary conditions so that he can enjoy golf anytime he likes."

Zhu Zhizhen is a surgeon for a hospital in Beijing. Despite his busy schedule, he always manages to accompany his son to the course to play and practice.

He says he loved ball games when he was a child, especially soccer, but had to drop his dream of becoming a professional to study hard to get into university.

Now as a father, Zhu Zhizhen knows well that there is nothing better as a gift from a parent to his child than to let him develop his hobbies and enjoy life.

It may have been an omen that Zhu and his wife, Li Ming, found out they were going to have a child just after they had enjoyed a round of golf.

That was a hot summer day in 2007, two years after the couple started playing golf. After a round, the wife felt uncomfortable and they discovered she was pregnant when they went to the hospital.

"At that time, it just occurred to me that if the baby was to be a boy, he probably would love playing golf," Zhu Zhizhen says.

And it was indeed a boy.

When he was only 11 months old, Zhu He got his first plastic golf club toy, and would drag and swing the club as he toddled around.

To celebrate his first birthday, the family practiced the tradition of Zhua Zhou, a game played on a child's first birthday to determine his or her future.

Zhu He grabbed the money first and then a golf ball, which was a good sign for the father to decide to teach the toddler how to play golf.

The child was too small to go on a professional course, so their home became his training ground.

To start with, their living room of about 30 square meters was turned into a mini-golf course, and the father used toys and household items to mimic a professional course. The child was able to learn and practice.

Zhu Zhizhen would play with the child, and often encouraged his son to hit colorful toys and fruits with his golf club, as if they were golf balls, so that the child would not lose interest after practicing repetitively.

During Spring Festivals, hongbao, red envelopes containing money, were hung in the miniature course. The hongbao he managed to hit with a golf ball were his.

Zhu He also likes to hear about the legends of famous golfers, such as how Tiger Woods made a hole-in-one when he was 6 years old. Seeking out new golf devices on the market was also another way to keep him engaged.

Zhu He went on a regular course to train before he was 3. At the age of 4, he started to take part in a tournament.

At that time, golf events for teenagers and younger children were rare. Even today, there are fewer than 10 widely recognized events a year in China, the father says.

In his first game, the boy was distracted by the golf carts and scrambled up one.

For his second game, when he was nearly 5, Zhu He finished two rounds of 36 holes in two days.

Since then, the father has always been searching for golf events that Zhu He can participate in, whether in Beijing or elsewhere.

Over the years, they have been to many places. The events fueled Zhu He's passion for golf, and slowly he started to care about his scores.

However, domestic golf tournaments do not have different categories for children under 9 years old, and Zhu He has to compete against children much older than him.

Since 2013, the father has taken Zhu He to the United States to take part in a series of golf tournaments because the age categories are wider, and there is a category for children under 6.

Zhu He won his first trophy during his first visit to the US in June 2013. He also made his first hole-in-one in a pre-game last year in the US.

During one of the US visits, Zhu He cried for the first time because he felt his score was disappointing.

But the father says: "We play for fun, we are not aiming to be professional."

Zhu Zhizhen believes golf is a good way for his son to develop his character.

To play golf well, a player needs to practice regularly, and it is easy to make mistakes and feel frustrated during the process. This will make the child persevere, determined to face challenges and difficulties, he says.

Zhu He has showed such qualities over the years, Zhu Zhiwen says, citing his son's long hours of practice that have resulted in good handwriting and rope jumping.

"It is too early to hope for him to become a professional. First of all, I want him to learn how to be a better person through playing golf," the father says.

Since the beginning, Zhu Zhizhen has recorded his son's activities on social media, including Sina Weibo and Wechat. The Sina Weibo account has nearly 2,000 followers, and many of them have spoken highly of the child in their comments.

Zhu He, who is enrolled in a public school, says: "Apart from golf, I also like many other sports, such as soccer, basketball and swimming, but now I don't have much time for sport because I need to study.

"I want to study hard because I need brains to play golf better.

"I'm the only child in my class who plays golf, but that doesn't make me feel special or proud. That is because, after I fail to win a trophy in golf, I have to do my homework.

"The other kids in the games are all bigger and taller than me, and it is difficult for me to beat them, but I do win occasionally."

liuzhihua@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 07/10/2015 page29)