Jordan Henry
PERSONAL – Jordan is single with no kids and lives in Hansville, Washington. He’s done well for himself and runs a landscaping company that serves all of Kitsap. Jordan has been a recreational golfer since high school but has really gotten into it the last 3 years and is a member at Port Ludlow Golf course.
TIE TO THE MONTEMAR – Like Travis, I met Jordan through baseball. Unlike Travis, he wasn’t on my first regular season team. Jordan was the number one overall pick as a 13 year-old and I didn’t have a chance at him. But when it started to look like I was going to manage the all-star team, which was early in the season, I reached out to Jordan’s dad so that I could start working with him. He was extremely athletic, but super raw, and had always been the center fielder on the little league all-star teams. I knew that for our team to get where we wanted to go, Jordan would need to be our shortstop. We started working out regularly and I got to know him and his family very well. So well that when Jordan’s mom caught him smoking weed I was the person she came to for advice. She wanted to ship him off to a rehab school and I told her that was a terrible idea and that I would talk to him. I told him if he ever smokes weed again to not get caught.
His first all-star season at shortstop was a little rough and some of the dad’s questioned my decision to put J-Hen at short, but they all shut up the next year when we finished 3rd at the Series behind the best 14 year-old defense in the world. Much of that having to do with Jordan’s phenomenal play at short. Him and Travis must have turned 40 double plays that summer. They also became great friends.
Which wasn’t always a given considering my biggest challenge a year prior was to convince Travis and his good buddy Jeff that this kid from Hansville wasn’t all that bad. The two would go on to play football, basketball, and baseball together on some very good high school teams – both wide receivers and defensive backs, both guards, both infielders. I reflect on 23 years and it’s pretty awesome to see how their friendship has grown. It’s one of the best I’ve ever seen and a true testament to what sports and similar interests can do.
Most people don’t realize this, they probably think the opposite, but Jordan has one of the sharpest minds I’ve ever seen, especially when it comes to sports. I always thought he would make a great coach and used to have him come help me out when he was in high school and I was coaching younger kids as well. He’s a great guy, a good athlete, loves to golf, and another great addition to the Montemar.
ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE MONTEMAR – Nothing yet but hoping Jordan and Trav will help to get some of my other former players into this thing in the coming years.
WHAT NEEDED TO HAPPEN IN 2023 – Jordan plays a little more golf than Travis and the handicap indicates he’s a little better. Golf is a brutal sport though – filled with ups and downs – and I’ll be curious to see how Jordan deals with the downs. Having coached him on a lot of teams for a long time and knowing it was sometimes a challenge to get him to shake off the last play and move onto the next, I’ll be curious to see how he does with that on the golf course. Can he shank an iron shot and still salvage a bogey before getting back on the par train, or will the shanked shot send him on a string of unnecessary bogeys? He improved a lot when I had him, and he’s much older now, and I believe if he plays one shot at a time there’s no way to think Jordan can’t be around in this thing come Sunday.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN 2023 – I played two rounds with Jordan at last year’s Montemar and as I read my write up from last year I chuckle at how true those words were. He’s athletic as it gets and that makes up for a goofy lookin’ swing but where he gets in trouble is when he let’s a couple shots get away from him in a row. Typically this happens when he hits one bad one and quickly rushes through a couple more shots while cussing at himself. By the time he composes himself and sticks one pin high he’s already lost a couple strokes. In baseball he could get away with this; ball 1, ball 2, ball 3, bounce back to strike the fucker out. In golf it doesn’t work, those two or three extra strokes stay there forever. One of those strokes probably cost us 12.5 points and our match, but I wouldn’t have traded the final day for anything as there’s few other people I would have rather golfed with after not seeing my buddy for so long.
WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN 2024 – Jordan needs to put those bad shots behind him quickly and move onto the next one while playing to the safe areas of the green. If he does those two things he’ll be shooting consistently in the low 80s and he’ll be a force. The random pairings and draft will always be important, as will who they go with on the scramble team. I’m guessing Pat, Jordan, and Tob will make up 75% of a team… can they find a ringer for their 4th? Or will they let me pair them up again? :)
ODDS TO WIN – 16-1
FUN FACT – We were in the Dalles, Oregon for the Regional Tournament – winner to the world series. Losers bracket, Jordan is gonna be on the hill today. If we win we go on to face Nanaimo, BC for the championship, if we lose we go home. Biggest game of Jordan’s life. I’m told an hour before the game that the fuckin’ kid lost his cleats and his mom was out trying to buy him new ones!
MONTEMARS PLAYED – 1
MONTEMAR ROUNDS PLAYED – 3 (TPC Scottsdale, TS-Piipaash, TS-O’odhaam-2023)
LIFETIME POINT TOTAL – 239.5
JACKETS WON – 0
TOP 3 FINISHES – 0
TOP 5 FINISHES – 0
TOP 10 FINISHES – 0
RECORDS – 0
TOURNAMENT HANDICAP - 28
INVITED BY – Travis Tobin
PLAYERS INVITED - 0
PRIZES DONATED – Nothing yet but I’m sure him and Tob will come up with something cool to add to the pot.
