I am standing on the driving range at Skyline Country Club, where a pair of left-handers are smashing crisp iron shots into the bright blue sky.
The taller of the two, Parker Servoss, 13, is the fourth-ranked golfer in Arizona for the high school class of 2028. His practice partner on this day, Jackson Caldwell, 12, is aspiring to get to that level. Both are members of the Skyline All Stars, the second-ranked 13U PGA Jr. League team in the nation.
In a few hours, Parker and Jackson will be boarding a plane for Northern California. The Skyline All Stars are one of two Tucson teams participating in the PGA Jr. League regionals in Santa Rosa this weekend. The Skyline squad and the 17U First Tee Backspinners, who play out of El Rio, are the first Southern Arizona teams to make it to regionals. Each will be vying for spots in the National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championships later this fall.
After watching Parker and Jackson practice for just a few minutes — one smoothly struck shot after another, clipped off the grass just right — and learning about their team, I feel confident in this assessment:
The kids can play.
Michael Lev is a senior writer/columnist for the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson.com and The Wildcaster.
Skyline’s No. 2 national ranking isn’t subjective; it’s based on the team’s scoring. The squad recently combined to shoot 70 under par in a qualifying tournament. Parker, the team’s top player, also won Skyline’s men’s championship this year playing from the same tees as the grownups.
“We just have this rare team this year,” said Chris Dompier, the squad’s head coach, the head golf pro at Skyline Country Club and the best golfer in Tucson for several years running.
“Just perfect timing, perfect ages.”
Eight players out of the 60 or so in the Skyline pipeline are set to compete in Santa Rosa. The six others: Kallum De Guia, Jake Martinez, Brody Olayvar, Alex Ramos, Eddie Tsai, and Wesley Weltman.
Jackson Caldwell watches his ball as his Skyline All Stars PGA Jr. League teammate Parker Servoss swings on the driving range at Skyline Country Club Thursday.
Dompier had a sense that the team would take a leap this year. Skyline finished third in sectionals in 2022.
“We were all 11 and 12,” Dompier said. “Like, next year, watch out for us. We kind of knew it was coming.”
Little League of golf
Before catching wind of Skyline’s surge into the national rankings, I didn’t know the PGA Jr. League was a thing.
It’s been around for over a decade and has evolved into golf’s version of Little League baseball and softball. Leagues form All-Star teams, open to both boys and girls, that play in state and regional tournaments. The Skyline All Stars and First Tee Backspinners will compete in Region 12 against teams from Hawaii, Southern California, Northern California and elsewhere in the Southwest.
The First Tee Backspinners are one of two Tucson teams set to participate in the PGA Jr. League regional championships in Santa Rose, California, Friday-Sunday. The Backspinners are in the 17U division. Pictured, in the back row, from left to right, are Coach Ben Arrington; players Valentin Ortiz, Kason Shotwell and James Labukas; and Coach Hank Ravenell. In the front row: players Juan Pablo Solorzano, Ceasar Ramirez and Frankie Felix.
The PGA Jr. League Championship is the equivalent of the Little League World Series. This year’s 13U event, scheduled for Oct. 4-8 in Frisco, Texas, will air on the ESPN family of networks. The 17U kids will compete for a national title for the first time Nov. 16-19 at a course just north of Albuquerque.
The best part of the PGA Jr. League, by far, is the format. Players are paired up in two-person scrambles. So every player gets to hit shots throughout a match, even though only one of the two shots — the better one — counts.
“The scramble format allows even the beginner, even the not-so-good player, to still be on the team,” Dompier said. “And still compete, still have fun.”
We usually think of golf, at least on the professional level, as an individual sport. The Ryder and Presidents cups are exceptions. LIV has tried to make team golf catch on, with limited success.
The PGA Jr. League setup assures that no player is left behind, that everyone contributes and that no one ever feels as if they’re alone on the course.
“Golf is intimidating,” said Jeff Schettek, Dompier’s top assistant. “That’s why a lot of people don’t play.”
Skyline All Stars PGA Jr. League team assistant coach Jeff Schettek, left, and head coach Chris Dompier pose while some of the members of their 13U team practice at Skyline Country Club Thursday.
Dompier, 47, still plays and plans to take a run at the Champions Tour when he’s of age. He’s been coaching Skyline’s PGA Jr. League program since the mid-2010s.
“It was small,” Dompier said. “Almost nobody knew about it. Most clubs didn’t have a team. We had, what, six kids?”
Then the strangest thing happened. In the spring of 2020, a global pandemic made golf one of the few sports you could play safely.
“COVID was a big help. I know it sounds crazy,” Dompier said.
“People just started golfing like wild. Especially young kids.
“We had to shut off signups. We couldn’t take any more kids. I couldn’t fit any more kids on the range.”
‘Beat Phoenix’
Tennis had been Parker’s No. 1 sport. He got into golf during the pandemic. Now he’s obsessed.
He enjoys meeting people at tournaments, competing against his friends and playing with them in the PGA Jr. League. How did he get so good so fast?
“Practice,” Parker said. “Lots of practice.”
Jackson Caldwell hits the ball as his Skyline All Stars PGA Jr. League teammate Parker Servoss prepares to swing on the driving range at Skyline Country Club Thursday.
Parker, an eighth-grader at Esperero Canyon Middle School who’s planning to attend Catalina Foothills High next year, says he practices for 2-3 hours almost every day. “Besides Monday,” he said. “Because the course is closed.”
Said Dompier: “I work 40 hours a week; he probably practices 40 hours a week. It’s ridiculous. ... He’ll finish a round of golf, and then he’ll go back and practice. Most kids don’t do that.”
Jackson, a sixth-grader at St. Cyril, got his first set of clubs for Christmas when he was 5 years old. His father, Dennis, was an avid golfer.
“I had been playing soccer since I was 3,” Jackson said. “He wanted me to play two sports. So he got me into golf. And I just loved it. Well, I’ve been starting to love it more.”
Wait. Why more now?
“Because I’m getting better at it,” Jackson said. “And I really want to beat Phoenix.”
If you weren’t pulling for the Skyline All Stars already, consider this: The No. 1 team in the nation is AZ Junior Golf, based out of Scottsdale. Skyline came in second at the section tournament in Prescott behind only ... AZ Junior Golf.
Eddie Tsai of the Skyline All Stars hits a shot on the range at Skyline Country Club. The Skyline All Stars are the second-ranked 13U team in the nation and are set to participate in the PGA Jr. League regionals in Santa Rosa, California, Friday through Sunday.
These kids have a rival — their own version of the School Up North.
“There are a lot of other teams too,” Parker reminded Jackson about the upcoming regional, which features eight squads.
“I know,” Jackson replied. “But I really just want to beat Phoenix.”
Only one of the two will advance to the national tournament.
“It’s tough,” Dompier said. “Unfortunately, it’s us or them.”
The Skyline All Stars wouldn’t have it any other way.
