Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome to this episode of Hustle and Pro. I'm your host, Kelly Walker. Right here in our own backyard here in Briscoe, we just had the 50th Junior PGA Championship. I went to watch a little bit. I was so impressed to see that players from all over the world were here.
Of course, a lot of eyes were on Charlie Woods, Tiger's son, but it was fun to go watch him. But also just seeing how these teenagers are so independent for this tournament. I mean, they are young players, they're not even in college yet and they're effectively out there by themselves. They're not here with a team, there's no high school or even a coach following them along. And so it was really interesting to see how independent and confident and these golfers are in their decisions.
Two 16 year olds ended up winning. On the girls side, Aubrey Hilgers from Surprise, Arizona. And on the boys side, Jaden Song from Burbank, California. They rotated between Field Ranch west and East.
So Aubrey Hilbers, she just committed to play collegiately at Auburn. She won the girls championship with a three hole playoff. Pretty exciting. Her victory got her points towards the 2027 US Junior Writer cup team and also an exemption into the 2027 Augusta National Women's Amateur. And then on the boys side, Jaden's, he, he was kind of behind early on and then capitalized on the 17th hole to get a one stroke victory to win. That win earned him points also towards the 2027 US Junior Writer cup team and he got an exemption for the 2027 Tulum Championship at PGA Riviera Maya in Mexico, which is a Korn Ferry Tour event.
So pretty cool to see what these young players achieved. Some familiar faces were on the fields list. I was excited to see a couple years ago, about three years ago when the 13 UPGA Junior League Championship was here in Frisco, I had the whole team Texas on and four of those boys were back for this 18U championship. The Reuben brothers were both playing Lincoln and Zach Lincoln actually finished tied for 14th at 1 under. And then another player on team Texas, Braden Barrett, he ended up in a tie for 17th at even par.
I also was excited to see some familiar faces on the player field list when I noticed my neighbor was listed. Jake Barber, Frisco, Texas. I said I know him.
So I went out and watched him. Plus he had a tee time right alongside Charlie Woods. So it was fun to go watch my neighbor and friend. And he plays for our high school. There were actually four kids from our high school that qualified for this tournament, so very cool. So I had to go watch, and I wanted to get Jake on Hustle and Pro to talk about his golf journey so far.
Please enjoy this episode with golfer Jake Barber.
Welcome to Hustle and Pro. Jake Barber, thanks for joining us today.
[00:03:15] Speaker B: Of course. Thank you for having me.
[00:03:17] Speaker A: Yeah. Okay, so I want to talk about you and golf.
[00:03:20] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:03:21] Speaker A: But I also know that's not your only, like, sports experience. Right. That might be kind of your identity right now, but. So just tell me, like, how old are you now and what kind of has been your sport so far in your Life?
[00:03:33] Speaker B: I'm currently 16, and I grew up my whole life playing soccer, and I played club and all the fun stuff with my friends and around, like, middle school, so seventh or eighth grade, I started picking up golf with, like, my cousin and my family just for fun, and I got pretty good. And I was like, maybe I want to do this and join the high school team and quit soccer and fully committed now.
[00:04:00] Speaker A: So were you. You could tell you were better than just, like, the friends and cousins you were playing with or.
[00:04:06] Speaker B: No.
[00:04:06] Speaker A: How did you know you were good?
[00:04:07] Speaker B: It was really fun.
And I practiced a whole bunch. A lot of just hours hitting balls and playing, and I started to be consistent, like, decent scores, and I thought, why not?
[00:04:20] Speaker A: Yeah. So at that age, it's hard to, like, go play 18 holes of golf. So were you always at the driving range and just hitting, hitting, or were you able to, like, play several rounds of golf?
[00:04:32] Speaker B: That I was. My grandma lives on the course, and she has a cart, which made it easier for me to do that. But I've definitely spent a ton of hours on the range just hitting and hitting over and over.
[00:04:44] Speaker A: Yeah. That's the first step, right?
[00:04:45] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:04:47] Speaker A: Okay. Before we talk more about your golf, I do want to go back to the soccer part. So you played club?
[00:04:51] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:04:52] Speaker A: So were you, like, here in Frisco? Like, that's a normal thing, right? You're a little kid. You start soccer first. So you kind of, like, that was. Did you think that was your thing and that was going to be your sport?
[00:05:03] Speaker B: Like, yeah, honestly, I really liked it. And I watch it all the time. I still watch it. I play, like, the video games. Like, it's still a big part of my life, but.
And I really enjoyed it. And I still enjoy it, but I don't know. I think golf is more for me, if that makes sense. Like, soccer, there's a lot of really good kids and a ton of talent. Same with golf. But there's just, I don't know. Soccer or soccer is always fun, but I never really thought I could go all the way. And golf was more of a hobby and those kind of switched.
[00:05:37] Speaker A: That's interesting. When it switched, like, did you.
There was a time when you were like, okay, I'm not renewing my soccer life. Like, I'm focusing. Was that like eighth grade, you think?
[00:05:48] Speaker B: Yeah, around eighth grade, I kind of like started skipping practice. I wasn't as like, excited for it.
[00:05:53] Speaker A: Your family's like, okay, if you don't want to do this, you're not going to need to do this.
[00:05:57] Speaker B: Yeah, that was probably exact words. And I was just like, yeah, I don't really want to play it anymore. I don't want to like commit my time to it if I'm not going to want to continue with the future. And so.
[00:06:10] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah, I love that because sometimes I see kids, it's every sport, but I see it a lot. Like, I feel like in soccer where the parents want them to keep going.
[00:06:19] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:20] Speaker A: And if you're not into it, like, it's not what's the point. Right.
[00:06:23] Speaker B: Yeah. And it's especially like, might be hard to switch late and being like, well, what am I going to do for the next four years in high school?
And for me, I never really like had that. It was just kind of like more of a go with the flow. Like, I don't want to do it. Why would I do it? I'm just going to see what happens.
[00:06:40] Speaker A: Okay, so when you commit to golf, what's first? Like, is it, I want to make the freshman team or I don't even know how the high school teams are formed. Tell me about that.
[00:06:49] Speaker B: For us and Reedy, it was just like a boys and girls thing.
They changed it. My sophomore year, they changed it to JV varsity. I think I was really lucky because going to eighth grade, summer, I was like, okay, I'm gonna try out. But I'd never played a tournament before. And the tryout's basically like a tournament, like a qualifier. And so I played like nine hole ones just like practicing, trying to get better. And then the tryout happened. Mine was very rainy and it was not the best day. We only got in like three holes. I. I was blessed to get another opportunity, which I did better. And I made the boys team. We practiced in the afternoon at Frisco Lakes.
And going into like a team aspect, like, that was really fun.
[00:07:33] Speaker A: How much is it is your golf practice time with a team versus independent?
[00:07:37] Speaker B: Oh, I'd Say it's a pretty even split. If I'm going to play the course, I'm always going to ask like my teammates or my friends if they want to play with me because it's more fun. You can compete. That's how you get better, is by challenging yourself against better players. And I think that's for every sport.
And practicing alone, like, it's very necessary and you have to do it to get better. You can't just be like, okay, he's going, now I have to go. You have to like make that decision to practice and get better. But I think having another person there or a team there is really helpful and it makes it more fun.
[00:08:11] Speaker A: Okay then. How much of your practice time is with a coach watching you versus on your own?
[00:08:17] Speaker B: So for high school, the coach normally watches us for like an hour because that's like the class time we get
[00:08:24] Speaker A: like during the school day kind of.
[00:08:26] Speaker B: Yeah. And then he normally leaves around then. But yeah, probably like an hour for every day on the school days. And then my private coach is around once a week. But I don't really like notice it. Like sometimes they'll compete with us, which is like fun and awesome because they have obviously a lot more experience and so it's fun to see that.
[00:08:46] Speaker A: So tell me about the experiences as you've, um, now. So now you're in. You're heading into your third, like full school year of golf, right? Yes. So going into your junior year, but now you've probably been doing a lot of tournaments and traveling more and you just did the PGA Junior Championship here. So how is. First of all, did you see a lot of talent that surprised you? And how did, how does that work?
[00:09:11] Speaker B: Well, I. In the qualifier, it's like 100 kids and it was originally two spots and I didn't even know honestly that it was a thing. I was just like, kind of do it for fun almost.
And I was like, just go out there and play your best. And it moved the morning of to I think it was six spots and later to seven.
I got tied for six. I shot pretty good. I beat a lot of really good kids that I've lost to a ton.
And I went to a playoff, which was really nerve wracking because these kids are like ranked top 10 in their class and they've been doing it their whole life. They have their like social media famous. It's really intimidating.
[00:09:52] Speaker A: It's been their focus for longer than it's been your.
[00:09:55] Speaker B: Absolutely. And I've never been in a situation like that. But I was lucky to get in as an alternate. And there's, like, the ajga, which is, like the big Junior tour in golf.
They have, like, if you win one, which is very hard and, like, really competitive, you get a bag. And going to the Junior pga, the range is just filled with them. And that's really, really intimidating because it's like, these kids have won at the best. They've shot, like, 10, 11, under. I've never really done that. I've not even played in one yet. And so there's definitely, like, a level of intimidation.
[00:10:32] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:10:33] Speaker B: It's just kind of like, you're an underdog. Just try to do your best.
[00:10:36] Speaker A: That also might have helped then. So you're like, okay, I know I'm not going to, like, beat these necessarily beat these players. So it might have taken a little bit off, but.
[00:10:44] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:10:45] Speaker A: Like you said, then it's just an opportunity to just go see what you can do that day.
[00:10:49] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. And it's all, like, a learning experience. I hope I can do it again next year, because I'll definitely be more like, I'll know what it is. That was my first big tournament, I would say.
[00:11:00] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:11:01] Speaker B: Yeah. So it was really cool. And, like, me and Charlie woods had the same tee time. Just.
[00:11:06] Speaker A: I know. I saw that one day. That's when I texted your mom and was like, wait, is Jake out there? Yeah, Charlie. Yeah.
[00:11:13] Speaker B: So. And I was hitting on the range. Next to me was an Auburn commit that I know of. He lives in Frisco. And then next him was Charlie woods. And there's a ton of people watching, so there's definitely, like, a pressure there.
[00:11:24] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:11:25] Speaker B: And. But I think it's best to just grow from it and put yourself out there.
[00:11:29] Speaker A: That's a great attitude to have.
[00:11:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:11:31] Speaker A: Because I've done some projects where, like, professional golfers are paired up with junior golfers and they get to play. And their biggest advice for the juniors is it's just a shot. You got to be able to have fun and smile and move on to the next one. And if you let that bad tee shot really, like, bother you and you take it so serious, you're. It's not going to help the rest of your day. Like, you know, it's just like, let it. Let it go and have fun and enjoy yourself, especially at your age, because it could. If you let it get to you too much, it's. Yeah, that's not going to be in a good place.
[00:12:06] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:12:07] Speaker A: I was. So that's my. You were. You mentioned some of those Players.
That was going to be. One of my questions was, like, when you played this big tournament, were there names that you're like, oh, I know who these people are.
[00:12:17] Speaker B: There was a lot of them. And my friends for high school were like, sending me, like, oh, you're playing with this kid. Or like, he's in the field and warming up. You see all their names on the bags and it's like, I mean, I'm good enough to be there with them. I don't.
[00:12:31] Speaker A: That's awesome. And I saw a lot of college logos out there. Right. So some on bags. I saw a lot of private schools on golf bags and a lot of college logos. So either either maybe players were committed, like, because. Because age wise, these could be. These could be players that are finished with high school. Right?
[00:12:49] Speaker B: Anyone?
[00:12:49] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. And so they might be starting college soon. And so that's quite a field, a ride range.
[00:12:55] Speaker B: It is. It's very, like, hard. And there's a bunch of college coaches out there, which adds, like, another bit of pressure because it's like, this could really help you in the future.
But yeah, it's crazy.
[00:13:08] Speaker A: So then what about that as you go into your junior year, a lot of student athletes for high school, that can be the year that they make a decision if they want to continue that sport in college, which is a commitment, right?
[00:13:20] Speaker B: Like, absolutely.
[00:13:21] Speaker A: It's different being a student athlete in college than a regular college kid. And I know you have older, like, cousins and friends that you've watched already go through college experiences, so, like, nothing's final. Right. You get to change your mind all the time right now. But, like, what are your. Like, what are your thoughts on continuing on?
[00:13:38] Speaker B: I would love to play college golf. I actually just went to a showcase in North Carolina, which there was a bunch of coaches there, 120 kids. And that really, like, opened my eyes to all the possibilities of schools, and I would absolutely love to continue. That really helped me understand the recruiting process.
[00:13:56] Speaker A: Oh, that's good.
[00:13:57] Speaker B: Yeah. And so I've started to email coaches. And you're doing the thing you're, like, going through.
Absolutely. Yeah.
[00:14:05] Speaker A: You have to. And like I said, you can. I mean, I'm sure your family talked about this like nothing's a permanent decision. You know, you can change your mind on things or you can try something and if it's not the right thing for you, you can change your mind or absolutely change your school or change your path or whatever. But that's exciting.
[00:14:22] Speaker B: Yeah, that's it.
[00:14:23] Speaker A: So over this next year or a Year and a half plus you'll be like knowing a lot more about where you could end up.
[00:14:29] Speaker B: Yeah, that's exciting. Yeah, it's big, it's exciting. But it's also a little nervous just because, you know, these schools are watching you like every tournament.
But yeah, it's very fun.
[00:14:40] Speaker A: Yeah, but they know with their, you know, expertise, they know good days, bad days, like, you know, they're going to give everybody a bunch of grace to see. And they're also. Have you been told, I mean, I, I'm thinking more of in the soccer world, which you know too. But like, it's not always about that shot, that play, that moment, body language and the way you communicate with coaches and the way you respect yourself and coaches. Like, have you been told that in the golf world also?
[00:15:06] Speaker B: Absolutely. One of the coaches was like, you could be the best player out there. But if you're not going to talk to me, if you're, if I can't know you because you're going to spend so much time with them in college, like, if they're going to be like, if you all are going to be fighting the whole time, then he doesn't want you on his team.
And so there's definitely like that aspect where you have to be a good person, you have to be good academically.
[00:15:28] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:15:29] Speaker B: And yeah. So it's just not always about golf score. Obviously that's the big part. But there's also like being a good person, being respectful.
[00:15:38] Speaker A: Right. There's much more to it. And those things can help you like not be hopefully as nervous because you have control of a lot of that stuff. Yeah. And that's probably natural to you. That will impress those, those recruiters and coaches. Okay, so just for fun, like, what do you love about playing golf?
[00:15:55] Speaker B: Oh, I love, I love how different it is. Like, there's a lot of variety. You can hit a bunch of different shots, you can get creative. Like, there's just a lot of like, aspect and it's just you out there. It's not like you have a teammate to rely on. So there's a lot of individuality that goes with it. But I like being creative.
[00:16:15] Speaker A: Creative with like the, the angles and the yardage.
[00:16:18] Speaker B: Yeah. Like you can do anything. Like shot shapes. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.
[00:16:23] Speaker A: I feel like it's a math minded
[00:16:25] Speaker B: project, especially here because of all the wind. Like you really have to factor in everything and it, it takes a lot of mental focus and commitment to every shot. But yeah, it's really fun. And you also get to meet a Ton of really fun people.
Like, people in Dallas, from. In the Junior pga. In my practice round, I played with a kid from Thailand. He's awesome. And I saw him at the showcase in North Carolina.
[00:16:51] Speaker A: So cool.
[00:16:52] Speaker B: Yeah. Just kind of making random friends here and there is really fun.
[00:16:55] Speaker A: That is cool. You mentioned wind. I got to go to the press conference before the. The KPMG Women's PGA Championship last June, and that was the topic of conversation was like, how do you. How do you adapt to the wind? Because a lot of these women from all around the world have never played in Frisco.
[00:17:11] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:17:11] Speaker A: Before. So they're practice rounds. And it was a huge topic. And, like, that's just so interesting that, like, that one weather factor can be such a factor.
[00:17:21] Speaker B: It is. It definitely is. Like, and there's. I am more used to it than most people just because I've lived here and I've been through a bunch of crazy win. Some people are like, they'll hit their stock shot, thinking it'll just play 20 yards more, but if they play it high, it'll get held up. It's going 40 yards shorter.
So it's just like, stuff like that. It takes practice, and it takes being in that experience to learn.
[00:17:44] Speaker A: Yeah. You're already learning so much. I feel ever since PGA opened, I'm like, our kids are so lucky. I think our kids in Frisco ISD are lucky anyways because of the Star and Toyota Stadium, like, where we play football, all the places, the facilities, but for golf specifically, like, hopefully you know that, like, you're in a great spot.
[00:18:06] Speaker B: Absolutely. And being able to practice there. We do it every Tuesdays is. Is awesome. We get to play an amazing golf course, and it's really fun and kind
[00:18:15] Speaker A: of nice when some of these tournaments roll through and you're like, oh, I know this course.
[00:18:19] Speaker B: Yeah, it definitely. It'll give you help. But, yeah, it's really fun. And you can go watch, too. Like, obviously the women's, the men's next year there's a college tournament happening, like, sometime.
[00:18:32] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:18:33] Speaker B: And that's really cool to watch them and how they play and of course, where you're used to. And you can definitely pick up a few things.
[00:18:41] Speaker A: Yeah. Okay. So those are some of the things you like.
What.
What have you found out over the last few years? Playing golf, that is not your favorite thing. Oh, is it the early morning tee times?
[00:18:52] Speaker B: I love early morning.
The heat is not the best. I mean, that's with everything. It's hot here, especially in the Summers. But.
Oh, dislike. I mean, it's hard. I would say the one part I. I dislike about golf is it's very mentally challenging. Like, when you're playing bad, when you're stuck, like, it's hard to get out of that.
[00:19:17] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:19:17] Speaker B: And if you're in, like, a weak phase where you just can't figure anything out, it's really hard. You're gonna be like, I don't want to do this. Like, I don't want to go to golf. It's not fun anymore. But I would say the biggest thing is just, like, always focusing on the next time. Like, it's. Every single hole is a different chapter in a book. Like, you're gonna restart. Like, just try to do your best on everything.
[00:19:40] Speaker A: I would say that's so great. That is such a good attitude. Really good mindset to have at your age. Okay, last question. Who right now is your favorite golfer,
[00:19:50] Speaker B: like, professionally, in the world or ever?
[00:19:52] Speaker A: Like, who's your golf person or some of them? You can say a few names.
[00:19:58] Speaker B: I like.
I like Scotty a lot, just because he's from Dallas. He's really cool.
I like Justin Thomas a lot, just because he's, like, a little more, like, crazy with his game. And I like watching him. I like good swings as well, like Ludwig Oldberg. Like, he's just pretty to watch him hit. But I also like golfers who are really creative, like Jordan Spieth. Like, he gets out of play, and he gets back in it. I think that's really fun to play watch.
[00:20:29] Speaker A: Nice. Those are great representatives to watch and pay attention to and try to learn from as you watch golf. So. Awesome. Well, thank you. Thanks for your time.
[00:20:39] Speaker B: Of course.
[00:20:40] Speaker A: Good luck at your reedy season or. Yeah. Year. Yeah. Is it a season or a year? I don't know how y'. All what it's called, but good luck in your junior year. Yeah. At Reedy. And then all the tournaments and all the things and. And have a good year.
[00:20:53] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you so.
