For most people, golf is something to do on Saturday or Sunday morning, a chance to get outside and enjoy the summer air.

For Jack Ahern this summer, it was about something more.

The Wheaton resident, who is entering his senior year at Wheaton North, made it more of a second  job than a mere hobby.

Ahern worked at Cantigny Golf Course in Wheaton throughout the summer. He took lessons. And he played in at least 10 tournaments, winning the Junior Match Play Championship at Village Links at the end of July and placing fifth in an Illinois Junior Golf Association regional in Sycamore Aug. 5.

“I’m really happy with how I played last week (at Sycamore),” the 17 year-old Ahern said.

His win at Village Links and strong finish at Sycamore were the culmination of a summer full of hard work. It’s what you would expect from someone who’s been playing golf for more than half his life and unfortunately missed the cut for Wheaton North’s freshman golf team.

The constant work — on the range, during lessons and on the course — has paid its dividends.

“I’m hitting the ball a lot more consistently and I think my short game has improved because I’ve been working on that a lot,” said Ahern, who takes weekly lessons with Lou Solarte, Cantigny’s teaching pro.

Ahern’s road to improvement actually started before the spring grass sprouted.

Over the winter he worked with Solarte at his studio, Dynamic Sports Motion, in downtown Wheaton, and at Links & Tees golf dome in Addison, which came on the heels playing for Wheaton North last fall.

All the months of concentrating on golf led not only to summer success but also to a newfound confidence that should help Ahern as he prepares to swing for the Falcons once again this fall.

“I’d say I play smarter than a lot of the kids I play against,” Ahern said of one his edges over the competition. “A lot of kids take out the driver on every hole.”

Ahern is smart off the tee, which is a good trait to have to avoid trouble on the golf course, but he said he is also improving when he does have to play from a difficult position.

“I’d say I’m a pretty good scrambler. I can make par from a lot of places,” Ahern said. “I’m also pretty good from 100 yards in.”

Ahern’s fifth place finish at the IJGA tournament in Sycamore was a strong showing on a tough course against stiff competition, and along with his win at Village Links the highlight of his summer on the golf course.

“I was kind of surprised I won (at Village Links) because in my semifinal match I was down the whole round,” he said. “But last week (at Sycamore) was the most satisfying because I really didn’t play well in any other IJGA stuff this summer.”

The fact that Ahern broke through for a win and a top-five finish shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, it’s what he’s been working for since the winter.

“I really worked on the mechanics of my swing over the winter,” he said. “Over the summer I just focused on scoring better.”

Jack Ahern vital statistics
Age 17
Started playing At 7 years old
Playing competitively Since 2004