CHEBOYGAN — Elliott Schryer never had the intention of playing golf competitively.
But last July, something changed.
Schryer, then enjoying his summer vacation, was with his grandfather Earl Parsons, who happens to be Cheboygan’s boys golf coach. The two ended up playing multiple times at the Cheboygan Golf & Country Club, but grandpa saw some potential in his grandson.
By the end of July, Schryer wasn’t just playing golf for fun.
He was playing because he wanted to be good.
“He made me want to play (golf) and got me into it,” Schryer said of his grandfather. “It’s easy (to work with him) because I know him well, and it’s easy to learn from him since he’s also a really good golfer.”
From those summer days on the course with his grandfather to the present, Schryer, now a sophomore, has transformed himself into one of the top players in the Cheboygan program, performing at a level nobody would’ve expected just a few months ago. Schryer’s rise has been impressive, as he recently fired a personal-best 86 and finished 12th at the Grayling Invitational on Monday, May 11.
At the Northern Shores Conference championships at the Cheboygan Golf & Country Club on Wednesday, May 13, Schryer, who started the season as the No. 6-seeded player on the squad, competed as the No. 2 and finished in the top 25.
There’s plenty Schryer has learned from his grandpa, a former Northern Michigan Open champion, but perhaps the most important trait is between the ears.
“It’s the mental game,” Schryer said. “If I hit a bad shot, just forget about it and hit the next shot.”
As someone who’s thrived in golf for decades, Parsons knows it’s not easy for an inexperienced golfer to find success quickly. But with his grandson, Parsons was confident there would be a breakthrough.
“He’s a good athlete. It starts with that – and he likes to learn. That’s the key,” Parsons said. “When you teach him something, he remembers it. When he hits a bad shot, he knows why he hit a bad shot, and he can try to figure it out not to do it again.”
Seeing how Schryer has performed well so quickly, Parsons is one proud grandfather, especially knowing there’s more time that the two will get to work together on the course.
“I was glad when he took more interest in it and got serious. When he came out this year, I had no expectations,” Parsons said. “He’s going to continue to get better and better and better.”
Once next spring arrives, Schryer will look to play at a high level. But for a kid who decided to give golf a go because of a close family member, he’s thrilled to have grandpa by his side for a couple more years.
“It means everything to be with him,” Schryer said. “I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else.”
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: With grandpa’s help, Cheboygan’s Elliott Schryer progressing in boys golf
Reporting by Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
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