Woodstock area golfer wins Optimist tourney, qualifies for Florida championships

14-year-old Sweaburg resident Grant Hamulecki will be heading to Florida next summer after winning the Midwestern District Optimist Junior Golf Tournament at the St. Marys Golf and Country Club. (Spencer Seymour Photo)

Lee Griffi, Editor

“I am pumped!”

Those were the first words out of 14-year-old Grant Hamulecki’s mouth when asked about how he feels about winning the 2026 Midwestern District Optimist Junior Golf Tournament at the St. Marys Golf and Country Club.

Not only did the Sweaburg resident win the 14 and 15-year-old division, but he also shot the best round of the day with a 2-over 73, one better than 16 to 18-year-old division winner. As a result, he qualifies for the 2026 Optimist International Junior Golf Championship held at the Trump Doral course in Miami next summer.

“This will be the best tournament I have played in at arguably the nicest course I have ever played. Being able to go down there, have fun, and go on a vacation for a sport I love sounds awesome to me.”

The left-swinging Hamulecki has spent most of his young sporting career on the ice playing hockey and on the diamond playing baseball but has recently focused his attention to the links.

“I started playing golf when I was three, but I didn’t like it that much. I picked it up again in the summer of 2024 and loved it. This is my first year playing in tournaments. The satisfaction of hitting a good shot keeps me coming back. If I’m not hitting the ball well, then I might not want to play for a while, but if I am playing great, I could play all day.”

While he doesn’t have a regular instructor, he credits his dad and three of his golf buddies for helping him improve his game. Hamulecki said he is well aware of the strongest aspects of his game, as well as those that need more work.

“My short irons and wedges are pretty good. With a wedge in my hand, I’m pretty confident most of the time. I used to three-putt so much a few months ago, about three or four times a round on average, but I have gotten really good at lag putting, so I wouldn’t call it a weakness anymore. My driver is probably a weakness right now.”

The family has had a golf simulator since last winter, something he takes full advantage of on a regular basis.

“I’m always in there trying to get better. In reality, it’s pretty much all I want to do. Not that a normal job would be bad, but the thought of playing golf for a living is amazing, even though I know it would be really hard.”

Another advantage of the simulator is getting to play virtual golf on the Trump Doral course.

As for the possibility of signing up with a recruiting company to pursue a U.S. golf scholarship, Hamulecki said he and his family haven’t gone down that road, but it is something he would potentially be open to.

Hamulecki will be playing in the junior club championship tournament this weekend at Craigowan, and he thinks he has a good shot of winning.

“Most guys my age don’t take the game as seriously as I do or love it as much. I think I can get it done.”

He is also preparing for the 2026-27 minor hockey season with the A/AA Woodstock Navy Vets U15 team.