Golf sensation, 10-year-old Noah Lafreniere from St. Pierre-Jolys has had a fantastic year on the course, and the young star is looking to up his game as he continues to play in big tournaments.
How Noah got into the game of golf goes back to his dad's love of the game. "My dad got me into it," the young man says with a smile. "He played for quite a few years. He introduced it to me at the age of two."
As most, if not all golfers know, the sport can be a ride of emotional ups and downs, something that Noah is aware of, and says he handles well. "I think I deal with it quite well," he says with a smile. "I just try to breathe, calm myself down when I shoot some bad shots."
Starting at age two and working on his craft the last few years, Noah says there's one area that he is quite proud of. "My putting," he says confidently. "In some tournaments, my putting has done me really well. Around the greens is where I thrive."
This year has been special for Noah because he has entered in a few different events, and he says going up against skilled kids his age has been a lot of fun. "I've played well. Lots of competition. It's been a battle playing against some other really good kids from around the province."
It's not just going up against others, Noah works hard to better himself. "It's a very mental game," the 10-year-old says. "This year, I really just started playing tournaments, and this was my first year playing against such good competition. It was a lot of fun."
Doing well at tournaments is even more fun, and Noah Lafreniere has done well enough to earn his way to nationals later this month in British Columbia. "During a tournament, I was really good with my mental game, and I was making a lot of 10-foot putts, and I really put it all together. I'm so excited. Looking forward to representing St. Pierre at a big tournament."
Another area where Noah believes he can separate himself is with his conditioning, and working with Jeff Eidse from Sweaty Training in Steinbach has also put him in a position to succeed. "I do a lot of endurance stuff, I run a lot," he says. "I think I have an advantage on people when it comes to endurance, especially if it's hot and we have walk the course. I think that really helps me."
Leading into nationals, Noah is focusing in on improving a part of his game that he knows will have to be dialed in if he want's to compete. "Mostly trying to work on my driver, and some of my irons."
At the end of the day, Noah says his love of golf is because of family, and getting to tee it up with family means the world to him. "This past weekend, we were in a Texas Scramble tournament, me, my uncle, and my first cousin," he says with an excited tone. "It was a lot of fun, we finished 9 under. It was so nice golfing with them. I love that they golf with me, and they take the time to teach me and help me get better. We always have a lot of fun."
Going forward, Noah is looking at a future in the sport. "I could for sure see myself going to college for golf, but I know it's going to be really tough."
It seems as when the going gets tough, Noah Lafreniere not only meets, but defeats the challenge.