Transition: Gielow learning how to play for $$

Brendan Gielow is learning about professional golf on the fly.

He had a solid four-year career at Wake Forest, graduating in May, and is now taking his lumps on the eGolf Tour.

Gielow, who will play his fourth pro tournament this week, knew there would be a transition between amateur and pro golf, and he says the experience has been about what he expected. He's still trying to earn his first paycheck.

"I'm just trying to play as much as I can on this tour and try to Monday-qualify for some Nationwide Tour events," he said. "I want to be as prepared as I can be for the PGA Tour Qualifying in the fall."

Gielow has been spending time at home in Muskegon, Mich., and traveling to tournaments with his girlfriend and his father. He says he might move to Charlotte later this summer so he can continue to practice, play and prepare for what's ahead.

Gielow, 22, had two career victories for the Deacons and won the Byron Nelson Award this past spring. He had a career-stroke average of 72.47 -- fifth-best in school history since 1981 -- and played on the winning Walker Cup team last year.

The eGolf Tour will make one of its 15 stops at High Point and Forest Oaks country clubs this week. The tournament will have a purse of about $230,000 and a field of more than 200.

Gielow says he knows many of the golfers on tour from junior golf and college, including some former Deacons teammates. Chris McCartin, Dustin Groves, Chad Wilfong, Cortland Lowe and Doug Manchester -- who all played at Wake Forest -- will be in the field this week.

"The fields are all really good on the tour, and I've gotten pretty used to playing for money as a pro," Gielow said. "There's not a lot of adjusting except for the different courses and the format. At some tournaments, we can take carts, and others we can't, but overall it's been going pretty well."

The level of golf doesn't matter, Gielow says, the goal is the same.

"I want to continue to play solid, and it's all about playing well," he said. "You want to do that if you are an amateur or a pro, so that's the goal."

Where are the juniors?

Last week's 59th annual Forsyth Junior had one of its lowest turnouts in recent years -- 48 golfers. That's a far cry from 2000, when 130 competed, said tournament director Dick Butler.

There are varying opinions on why more juniors aren't playing in the county championship.

Winner Eric Mitchell, 15, says that many of his peers who used to play golf don't play as much.

"Golf's not a game where you can just pick it up and play right away," Mitchell said. "You have to practice a lot to break 100, so it's something that not all kids want to take the time to learn. And that's totally understandable.

"I'm not sure what direction it might go, but I would think that those numbers will go up where more kids will start playing. At least I hope so."

Mark Hartis, a golf pro at Reynolds Park, said that smaller fields might be the result of more options.

"I think kids have other interests besides golf," he said. "And I think families go on vacations a lot in July, so that's maybe why participation is down a little."

John Goins, the former tournament director who still helps with the Forsyth Junior and Forsyth Invitational, said that the five-player field for the Cubs Division (12 and under) was the smallest he has seen.

"No question about it, that's the lowest number of kids for the Cubs," Goins said, "and I've been helping with these tournaments since 1974."

Around the green

John Carter, a former N.C. State golfer from Thomasville, teamed with Oliver Peacock, the head pro at Elk River, to win the Carolinas PGA Pro/Assistant tournament in Myrtle Beach. Carter, now an assistant pro at Elk River, and Peacock shot 63-68 to tie Steve Isley and John Fritz, then birdied the first playoff hole to win the title….

Zach Bruns, 15, of Winston-Salem, and Kendall Dunn, 16, of Greensboro -- participants in First Tee of the Triad -- have been selected to participate in the week-long Ace and Eagle Academy in Franklin, Tenn. They will be part of a group of nearly 50 exceptional golfers from around the country….

Alexis Kershaw of Winston-Salem will compete next week at the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships at PGA National in Palm Gardens, Fla. Kershaw, who will be a freshman at Ledford, will play in the 14-15 age division.

jdell@wsjournal.com


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