Troon Cares
John Scott Senz Knows No Boundaries
Golf is just another challenge to the Northern California native.
by Robert Kaufman
Common throughout sports are tales of personal obstacles athletes have had to overcome to achieve their dreams. For some, it’s not enough just to play but having the strength to use any physical limitation they’re faced with as a motivator to excel. John Scott Senz — a 24-year-old golfer who plays out of Contra Costa Country Club in Pleasant Hill, California — is the embodiment of that storyline.
After meeting Senz for the first time, whether on or off the golf course, some may feel he’s been dealt a bad break in life. But according to his father, Doug, “he has been able to overcome what, for the majority of people would have been a game breaker.”
At the ripe age of six months, Senz was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a group of conditions affecting movement and posture caused by damage that occurs to the developing brain, most often before birth and impacting a person’s ability to control their muscles.
There is no cure, but treatments can help improve function which vary person to person. With Senz, there was a gloom and doom scenario of him not being able to walk and forced to spend his days confined to a wheelchair. Fortunately, that situation was never realized thanks to plenty of physical and occupational therapy at a young age.
What was actualized was a whole new world that opened when Senz turned five years old. With his parents refusing to let their son’s disorder get in the way of him living as normal a life as anyone else, he was introduced to golf.
FALLING IN LOVE WITH GOLF
“I remember when I first went out to the driving range it gave me the opportunity to hit balls and to see how much I’d like it,” said Senz. “I then quickly fell in love with the game through the First Tee program and look where it is now. It doesn’t matter the condition a person has; you can make any adaptations to play and I’ve just been able to do that like anyone else. And even if I didn’t have this condition, it wouldn’t have affected the path I’ve chosen. I also swam competitively up until age 12, played baseball until age 13, and played basketball through my sophomore year in high school; but golf has always been number one.”
As a result of embracing the values and life skills of the First Tee program, such as self-confidence and perseverance, now, nearly two decades later, playing with a brace on his left leg and one on his left hand, Senz is in his senior year of college, playing on a golf scholarship at the College of Idaho following two years at Napa Valley Jr College.
Prior, he played on the golf team all four years at Concord (CA) High School and was selected first-team All-Diablo-Valley League each season. If that wasn’t enough, his golf resume also includes three straight Special Olympics of Northern California Regional Golf Tournament titles in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
But, perhaps, at the top of Senz’s highlight reel was receiving an invite to play in the pro-am at the 2018 PGA TOUR Shriners Hospital for Children Open and finishing with two birdies.
“That was a pretty cool experience to see up close and personal what these guys can do on a daily basis,” said Senz, who indicated his dream foursome would include Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, and Justin Thomas.
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
Currently playing as a 5-handicap and driving the ball off the tee upwards of 300 yards, Senz has no aspirations to turn professional but instead, while he eyes a career in sports management, to explore opportunities through the PGA to become a teaching professional. In quest of that goal, Senz is relying on his longtime swing coach, Class A PGA golf professional Craig Kilcoyne who operates Kilcoyne Golf Instruction at Diablo Creek GC in Concord, CA
“It’s an understatement to say Senz has a passion for the game,” said Kilcoyne. “Basically, he’s swinging with just one hand while the other is holding onto the club acting as a guide. The other thing is his left leg is a bit shorter and because the way he has to grip with his right arm he has to aim his upper body left so, unlike everybody else having to get their hips, knees, and shoulders square, he’s unable to do that. It’s not going to look like Adam Scott, it’s going to look like John Scott.”
Given Senz’s positive attitude, determination, and discipline — and for someone who has exceeded everyone’s expectations in golf and life — this athlete’s story is far from finished.
