Girl has golf as year-round sport

Twelve-year-old Lindsey Eisenreich of Fenton did something special for her birthday last month. She went to North Carolina to play in a two-day golf tournament.

Lindsey Eisenreich poses in front of some of her trophies

Her 12th birthday was on Saturday, Nov. 19. That was the first day of the Plantation Tour tournament at the Pine Needles golf course in North Carolina.

For the 6th grader at Rockwood South Middle School, golf is pretty much a year-around sport. When winter hits home, usually she'll find a place in a tournament further south.

She plays golf in Gateway Junior PGA tournaments in the Midwest in the summer. But, in the fall, winter and early spring, she plays in Plantation Tour meets around the country.

This year has been a good one for her golf. In August, she won 1st place in the 12-13-age classification in the Gateway Junior PGA regional golf tournament in St. Louis. She shot a medallist honors 36-hole total of 82-78=160.

Lindsey said winning the Junior PGA regional was her most memorable golf experience.

In 2005, she usually finished first when playing in your regular 8-11 age class.

But, she also did well against much older girls. She had a 3rd place finish In the Gateway Junior PGA Classics meet in Alton, Ill., playing in the 13-15-age division.

Also, in 13-15, she finished 4th last May in the Plantation Junior Golf Tour Championship in Orlando, Fla.

About her out-of-town tournaments, Lindsey said, "It's a lot better than just playing a few courses around here."

Lindsey has been entering tournaments since she was eight. In 2002, she won 1st in the US Kids Golf Missouri meet for 8-and-under girls. She finished in the top 20 at the US Kids Golf World Championships at Williamsburg, Va.

In both 2003 and 2004, she won the US Kids Missouri championships in her age group.

She likes other sports, including trampoline and gymnastics. She was on the cheerleading team at Rockwood South but the season is over. So, for now, golf is her sport.

She's even limited her golf practicing now that she's in middle school. "It's a little harder in 6th grade with a lot more homework," she said.

"I don't even play golf every weekend. I want some time with my friends," she added.

In middle school, she's in honors classes and is a Rambassador. That's a student representative who shows new students and visitors around the school. Also, they serve as guides for evening programs, such as teacher conferences.

Lindsey said her dad, Steve, got her started with golf when she was six. Her first set of clubs included six clubs.

Now, she has a 14-club set, including five woods, eight irons and a mallet-head putter.

Lindsey said she's lobbying for a new bigger-headed Calloway driver. Each year, she sets goals for her game and one of them includes the length of her drives. With her current Taylor-made driver, she's reached this year's goal of a 210-yard drive.

She said she thinks her driving is the best part of her game. As for weaknesses, she cited her "short game," including her putter. "I have some bad days," Lindsey admits.

She takes golf lessons from two different pros, Helen Kurtin and Susan Fromuth. One works on her short strokes while the other helps her with her "full swing."

She's also a member of the First Tee organization and is studying to become a certified First Tee mentor. First Tee seeks to help kids of all backgrounds develop positive character traits through golf.

Her long-term golfing goal is to join the Women's PGA tour. She said she doesn't aspire to play on the men's pro tour despite the recent attention of 16-year-old Michelle Wie.

Lindsey said her golfing role model is Natalie Gulbis, a young golfer on the women's pro tour. "She's always well dressed and I like her style on the golf course," she said.

Looking ahead, Lindsey said she wants to play in the 2006 USGA Junior Girls regional qualifying tournament. That will be held in St. Louis next spring.

She said her favorite subjects in school are math and language arts. But, she said she's best in science, although she doesn't like it as well as the other classes.

As for college, she said she wants to go to Duke University.

And, if her pro golfing career doesn't happen, she said she wants to be an elementary teacher. "That's where you get to teach kids all the subjects," she said.