68th Parent/Child–Younger: Bala

Sterns capture title at Bala

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — For years, Landon Stern chased his dad, Michael. Every round ended the same, Michael still holding the family crown. That changed this year, when the senior at Souderton Area High School finally started beating him on the golf course. 

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“I told him I’d never let him win because when he beat me, he’d know he earned it,” Michael, 46, of Harleysville, Pa., said.

Tuesday at Bala Golf Club (par 68, 5,306 yards) the two found something even better than bragging rights in the form of a GAP title in the 68th Parent-Child-Younger. 

“We play almost every weekend,” Landon, 17, of Harleysville, Pa., said, “We’re competitive, but today was different. It was fun to play for each other instead of against each other.”

The Sterns carded a 6-over-par 74 to take the Junior Father/Son Division title. The event’s format is greensomes (selective drive/alternate shot).

The Parent/Child-Younger is open to teams with sons or daughters 18 years of age or younger.

Walker and Michael Mannon of Phoenixville Country Club as well as Jonah and Ari Flaisher of Llanerch Country Club, each carded rounds of 7-over-par 75 to finish one back.

The Sterns opened the round strong, firing off four straight pars. Their round took a turn on Nos. 5 (par 4, 390 yards) and 6 (par 3, 131 yards), where unfamiliar tee shots led to back-to-back double bogeys. But they regrouped quickly, staying in a positive mindset.

“After doubles, we both knew we had to stay positive,” Michael said. “We didn’t want to let the round slip away. Once we settled down, we played the rest of the way really well.”

The recovery came fast. On No. 8 (par 4, 331 yards), Landon, a junior member at Indian Valley Country Club, crushed his drive, leaving 105 yards uphill into the wind. Michael flighted a gap wedge to four feet before Landon knocked in the birdie. They stayed steady until No. 17 (par 4, 293 yards), when Michael hit a hybrid off the tee, leaving Landon 78 yards to the green, “the perfect number,” according to younger Stern. He opened his sand wedge and clipped it to three feet for the duos second birdie of the day.

“Being able to play on a team is very different for us,” Landon said. “We’re usually trying to beat each other. Today we could rely on each other, and it was really special.”

For Michael, a member of Lederach Golf Club, playing with his son was everything he imagined. Golf has been a part of their relationship since the beginning. Michael remembers bringing Landon to the course when he was a newborn and watching him grow up running fairways before eventually becoming a golfer.

“It means a lot to me,” Michael said. “I had him on the golf course when he was just a few weeks old. We’ve played so much together over the years. To win a GAP event as a team, it’s really special that we can share this.”

Their weekend matches will soon return to father versus son, but the memory of winning together will be one they’ll carry long after the family bragging rights are back on the line.

Junior-Junior Father/Son Division

North Hills Country Club’s Geoffrey and Grant Cooper claimed the Junior-Junior Father/Son Division with a round of 65 at Bala (par 68, 4,383 yards).

“This was our last chance to win this group,” Geoffrey, 45, of Erdenheim, Pa., said. “Grant turns 14 next year. The win is obviously great but to be here with him to play and compete together is the best part.”

Grant is going to eighth grade at Springfield Township Middle School in Oreland, Pa. and has been playing since he was five thanks to his dad.

“It is fun to play golf with my dad,” Grant, 13, of Erdenheim, Pa., said. “He’s taught me everything I know about the game. Being with him on the course is what I enjoy the most.”

The highlight of the round for the Coopers came thanks to Grant’s steely 8-iron on No. 13 (par 3, 154 yards) to five feet. The round included five total birdies and two early bogeys. Geoffrey said those bogeys after being near the green in one, made them focus in more and know there were opportunities left.

“There’s way more pressure on this even than playing in the GAP Majors for me,” Geoffrey, a longtime GAP competitor, said. “You both don’t want to let each other down. Being able to work as a team is awesome and I will play with him in these for as long as he will let me. GAP and its events has meant a lot to me and my family.”

Spring Ford Country Club’s Lila and Chad Collingwood carded a 10-over-par 78 to win the Junior Father/Daughter Division (par 68, 4,383 yards). The Junior-Junior Father/Daughter Division went to Huntingdon Valley Country Club’s Sean and Stella Seese, who carded a 6-over-par 74. Lauren Rivera of USGA/GAP GC and Kelten Rivera of GAP Youth on Course, won the Junior-Junior Mother/Son Division with a score of 15-over-par 83. Waynesborough Country Club’s Alaina and Lindsay Hill claimed the Junior-Junior Mother/Daughter Division with a 32-over-par 100.

Formerly known as the Father & Son (Younger), GAP renamed the event Parent/Child–Younger in 2022 to reflect today’s modern family. 

GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The organization’s 345 Member Clubs and 140,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.