Young talent gets his game on

A sports hobby turned serious when this young man got the desire to compete with his peers

Local Cranbrook golfer Shawn Sullivan headed down to the Crown Isle Golf Course in Courtney, to take part in the 2010 BC Junior open—and walked away finishing 57th out of the 71 who came out.

Although it was his third year coming out to the July tournament, which rotates courses around the province every year, he still enjoys going out and giving his best to see how he stacks up against the rest of the province.

The Crown Isle course is different from what he's used to because it's longer, but he said it was fun to play and in great shape.

Sullivan,18, started golfing when his family moved to the city from the Yukon six years ago and bought a house near the Cranbrook Golf Course.

What began as just fun outings with his dad and brother turned into something more serious when he realized he had natural talent for the game.

He picked up a membership and started to go out more frequently, eventually hitting the links five times a week with some range practice thrown in for good measure.

The Cranbrook golf course was an easy choice because it is a convenient five-minute walk from his home, it's a challenging course and it has the necessary practice facilities.

His game has been developed over time through tried and tested self-taught technique, as he doesn't have a coach and has never taken in-depth lessons.

The Kootenay region isn't a hotspot for tournaments but he has entered into a few local junior open tournaments up in Fernie and Golden to see what kind of competition is out there.

True to the stereotype, Sullivan trades in his clubs for a stick when the seasons turn, as his winter passion is hockey.

He golfs regularly at the Cranbrook Golf Course through his membership, but he acknowledges that the Kootenay area has many good courses to choose from. He singles out the Bootleg Gap course in Marysville as being a particularly enjoyable course to play.

He is eligible for one more year of play in the junior rankings before moving out of that age bracket—and he's setting his sights on making the Lethbridge Community College team. He hopes to join the RCMP and will be taking criminal justice studies—but making the team would put those plans on hold.