As part of a special new series focusing on the next generation of young talent in the south-east, Golf News presents James Herne, a three-year-old from West Sussex who is already attracting national attention with his early talent and passion for the game.
While golf has seen its fair share of greats – Tiger Woods shot a 48 on a 9-hole course at the age of three, and Rory McIlroy was filmed hitting balls in his mother’s washing machine in a TV game as a nine-year-old schoolboy – it’s still rare to find a freshman showing off a pre-game golfing talent.
That’s what makes James Herne’s story so interesting. A teenager from Worthing in West Sussex has just celebrated his third birthday, but not only has he been able to swing the golf club impressively, he’s already driving balls 40 yards down the fairway and registering ball speeds of over 45mph on the simulator.
GOOD TV VIEWING IS ENCOURAGED
The spark that ignited James’ love for this game was first lit while watching golf on television while visiting his grandparents. James’ father, who is also called James, remembers that time well. “One day we were round my in-laws and they had golf on the telly,” explained James Snr. “He just got hooked on TV and started imitating golfers’ swings.”
From there, his interest grew. James’ grandfather, John Black, an avid golfer, first took him to the green at a local club shortly after his first birthday and bought the youngster his first set of clubs.
“He was hitting the ball well, even when he was young,” Black recalled. “Every time we ask him what he wants to do, he says he wants to play golf.”
Now a junior member at Worthing Golf Club in West Sussex – where he could be the youngest member in the country – James practices three or four times a week on and off the club’s par-3 course, where he often plays with kids two or three times his age.
THE LAST IS SWEET
To help guide this early promise, James is coached by former tour player, and resident Worthing Golf Club, PGA Head Professional, Peter Tarver-Jones, who has introduced many young players to the game, but never taught anyone so young.
Tarver-Jones, who joined Worthing aged just 12, is unequivocal in his praise of his youngest pupil. “James’ passion and understanding of the game is fantastic,” he says. “Hard things like his pace control – he’s got it. At such a young age, his teamwork is amazing. I’ve never heard of someone as young as James doing this well. It’s really amazing.”
Despite the attention, both coach and family are willing to put things into perspective. Tarver-Jones emphasizes that the priority is to have fun: “You just want to make sure he’s happy and enjoying the moment. It’s not just about golf, we also work on his balance, jumping, quickness, even throwing and catching. It all helps develop the physical skills and coordination needed to swing the club.”
James’ father echoes that sentiment. “There is no ‘Project Tiger Woods’ here at work – we support a child doing something he loves, at first, my wife and I thought his talent was normal, but every time someone saw him, he said ‘wow’.
“For kids these days, everything now has a cell phone or a game console – but I’d like to keep him away from that for as long as possible. The main thing is that he enjoys it, it keeps him outside, and it keeps him interested in golf.”
Whether James becomes a household name to be placed alongside Tiger or Rory, or even matches the skills of Worthing Golf Club’s home-grown stars Marco Penge and Gary Evans, remains to be seen, but for now, his story encapsulates exactly what happened. The Next Generation series hopes to celebrate: the true love of the game, nurtured in the right environment, and based on fun, family and fresh air.
