Meet the 13-year-old who hit his first hole-in-one just 10 months after taking up golf

Sean Kelly grew up with a live-in golf pro. But it took a run on a friend’s golf simulator before he decided to give the real thing a try.

“I played some golf (on the simulator) and I had a lot of fun,” Sean said. “So I went out and golfed with my dad, and yeah, we just started golfing.”

Now Sean, 13, is hooked on the game and achieving feats that are the envy of even veteran golfers. On St. Patrick’s Day, the Wilson K-8 eighth grader got a hole-in-one on No. 13 at Vail’s Del Lago Golf Club. He used an 8-iron to ace the par-3, 136-yard hole.

Sean took up the game just 10 months ago.

“He’s already looking for No. 2,” his father, Jeff Kelly, said.

Jeff Kelly knows a thing or two about golf himself. A former pro who played on the South American tour in Argentina and Brazil, Jeff Kelly began to expose his son to golf when Sean was young. However, he knew Sean would have to become interested in it on his own in order for the sport to stick.

“The kids at that young age, you take them out and they have an interest for about one hole, then they’re off running around the lake and looking at frogs,” Jeff Kelly said. “The attention is kind of tough at that really young age, but once he picked it up, he really enjoyed it.”

Jeff Kelly praised the City of Tucson for helping junior golfers during the pandemic. The city took big steps to make the game accessible to kids, offering $5 rounds.

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“It was a wonderful offering by the city and the county golf courses to allow the kids to get out of their rooms and get outside,” Jeff Kelly said. “Five bucks, parents can drop them off and they can go hack at it and have some fun outside.”

When Sean came home all those months ago and told his dad he wanted to play golf, Jeff Kelly was thrilled. He knew better, however, than to try to teach Sean the game himself.

“I decided to get him an instructor instead of instructing him myself, because kids just don’t want to listen to their dads,” he said. “I got him a younger professional teacher and it’s been beneficial. Take lessons early so you get started correctly.”

Jeff Kelly is confident that his son’s game will only improve the more he plays. Sean hopes to play basketball for his high school team. He’s played for the last seven years, starting at the YMCA and moving up to a club team.

“Every once in a while I do a lesson to keep on going,” Sean said.

And and while Sean said he’d be interested in joining a golf team, for now he’s content to enjoy the game.

“I just really like going out and playing with my dad,” Sean said. “It’s pretty fun, and it’s nice being outdoors.”