MUKILTEO — Power, finesse, balance.
Golfing phenom Reid Martin appears to have the whole package.
When Reid was just 7 years old, the best golfer in the world invited him to step inside the fairway security ropes, swing his driver and then offered a piece of advice.
"Have fun with golf," Tiger Woods told Reid during a practice round at a PGA event in Florida.
In the five years since, Reid has done exactly that — particularly in 2003.
Earlier this month, he was named Northwest Washington Junior Golf Tour Player of the Year. In October he traveled to Orlando, Fla., and placed ninth at the Golf Channel’s Drive, Chip and Putt Junior Golf Skills National Championship in the 11-12 age group. In September, he won a third straight age-group club championship at Harbour Pointe Golf Club in Mukilteo. In July, he finished second at the Washington Junior Golf Association state championship among boys ages 8-11.
Anyone who watched him as an 8-year-old, attacking the pin with a fairway wood from 180 yards, probably saw this coming.
Now 12, and sporting a 4.9 handicap, Reid’s dreams are getting as big as his jumbo drives.
"I’m trying to get a full scholarship to Arizona and make the PGA Tour," Reid said shortly before a practice session Sunday at Harbour Pointe near his home in Mukilteo.
People familiar with his talent like his chances of continued success.
"He’s as good as I’ve ever seen at 12," said Mark Rashell, an assistant professional at Harbour Pointe. "He’s a big kid, he practices a lot and is doing everything he can do to get better."
Reid, 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, has the ability to hit mammoth tee shots, but his feel around the greens is equally impressive.
"At the higher levels everybody can hit the ball a long way," Rashell said. "Those guys who can chip and putt are the ones that have super careers. I just wish I’d had his short game when I was 12."
More than 25,000 youths participated at local and regional events leading up to the Junior Golf Skills National Championship. The format measured a golfer’s ability in three categories: driving, chipping and putting.
The competition consisted of two drives down a fairway with a landing strip just 40 yards wide. Three chips out of the first cut of rough from 30 yards away onto a green ringed like a dartboard with the four-inch cup serving as the bulls-eye, and two putts, one from 7 feet and another from 20.
Reid qualified for the nationals by winning a local event at Harbour Pointe, then winning the Northwest Regional on Oct. 18 at Eagle Quest at Coyote Creek golf course in Vancouver, B.C. Golfers from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alberta participated in the regional competition. Reid placed second in chipping and putting and won the driving portion with a 230-yard effort.
The fairway was slightly uphill into a light breeze and it had rained for three straight days before the competition.
"Basically, his (drive) plugged," his father, Ken Martin, said.
It makes one shudder to think what young Reid could do with a little tail wind on a hot summer day. His driving average is about 250 yards, but his longest drive measured 330 yards.
At the national finals in Orlando on Oct. 25, Reid learned a little about the difficulties of chipping out of Bermuda rough.
"If you set the ball in it, you have a buried lie," he said.
Reid’s putter also gave him fits in Orlando, but the driver served its purpose well. On his first shot, Reid struck the ball 230 yards safely down the center. That gave him the luxury of gambling a little with the second. He cranked it long, but outside the landing markers. No matter. The opening shot was the third-best in the field of 21 national finalists and ensured him of a top 10 finish.
Like many young players in Snohomish County, Reid got his start playing competitively in the Joe Richer Jr. Golf Club sponsored by the Everett Parks and Recreation Department. The program gives players the opportunity to experience golf at low cost.
"That program was key to his development. It was his first tournament play and each stroke meant something for the first time," Ken Martin said.
Reid’s first coach was Tom Sovay, a teaching professional at Harbour Pointe. For the past three years, his coach has been Jeff Coston, a teaching and touring pro based at Semiahmoo in Blaine.
Coston, a former Tour player, has been the PGA Pacific Northwest Player of the Year for eight of the past nine years.
"Reid has as much talent as any kid I’ve ever seen," Coston said. "He hits it long and has great touch around the green. I see him maturing hugely, even in the last two months. He’s more focused than he’s ever been. He’s learning how to create momentum and how to stop negative momentum. I think the kid could win the U.S. Amateur someday or at least be in the hunt. He’s super talented and he’s a happy-go-lucky kid. People are gonna fall in love with watching him play."
The Martin’s house sits along one of the fairways at Harbour Pointe and the club is a home away from home of sorts for Reid.
"Harbour Pointe is one of the reasons Reid has excelled the way he has. The staff and facilities are awesome," Ken Martin said.
Reid played about 80 rounds this year and practices up to five times a week during the summer. He has attended several PGA events and has a mountain of memorabilia, including a Sergio Garcia divot. He enjoys watching televised PGA tournaments and likes to emulate Fred Couples.
"I’ll watch and then I’ll go practice," Reid said. "I try to be like Freddie because his swing is so smooth and his attitude … if he gets mad you can never see it."
Away from competitive golf, Reid enjoys helping others.
At age 5, a recurring ear infection led to treatment at Children’s Hospital in Seattle, where young Reid befriended children facing serious life challenges. The experience helped him develop a fondness for the underdog.
He and his mother, Renee’, volunteer with the Food Lifeline program, which distributes to food banks in North Seattle and surrounding communities. Last spring, he assisted Special Olympians learning to play golf at Walter Hall Memorial Golf Course.
At Harbour Pointe Middle School where he is a seventh grader, Reid volunteers to help schoolmates with special needs .
"I just like helping them and being their friend," he said.
A big hitter with a gentle touch.
The whole package, indeed.
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