Development camp Q&A: Let's play some golf

Frank Sinatra sang that love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage, but two things that are equally inseparable are hockey players and golf.
Whether it's because a slap shot sure looks like a golf swing, or because having summers off lends itself to plenty of nice-weather free time, just about every hockey player can make their way around the links. Simply put, you can't have one without the other.

And with the Blue Jackets' annual summer development camp ending Wednesday evening with a fun outing at TopGolf, we decided to check in with some of the Blue Jackets prospects to see how they'd rate their golf games.
It turns out the Jackets have a pretty talented bunch of prospects, though it's also fair to say Jet Greaves might stand above the rest...

Jet Greaves

How good a golfer are you?"I'm decent. Good enough. I can get my way around a course, but I'm not going to set any records."
Do you play a lot?"Yeah, we play pretty frequently back home. I play with Cole Schwindt, he's in Charlote. I play with Keean Washkurak, he's in Springfield, and my buddies back home."
Did you play with family growing up? "I used to play with my mom when I was younger. She got me into it. I don't play with her as much now as I used to, but she got me into it."
What's the best shot you've ever hit or a great moment on the golf course? "I had a hole in one when I was 12 or 13. I was playing with my neighbor and I had a hole in one. I got an early start on it. I don't have the ball, but the course gave me a pennant. I have that up in my room back home."
That's incredible. Most people spend their whole life trying to get a hole in one and you've already had one. "I know! But I think it's probably worse that I got one when I was younger because I didn't really appreciate it. I don't know if I'm ever going to get back there."

Kent Johnson

Are you a golf guy?"I'm just trying to get into it more, play more this summer. We'll see how my drive is."
Do you get a chance to play much?"I like getting out once a week, twice a week this summer. I'm trying to get a little bit better. We'll see how that continues to go."
Did you play much with family growing up?"When I was really young, I played quite a bit, actually. But then I went a while there where I wasn't playing much, but yeah, I played with my brother and my dad."
Are there any golf shots or rounds you've had that stand out? Jet Greaves has a hole in one. "Playing like a par-3 with my buddies, I got a hole in one, but the hole was like 60 yards. I don't think that really counts. I love chipping, though. Around the green, that's probably my favorite."
Gotta use those hands, right?"Exactly."

Luca Del Bel Belluz

Do you play a lot of golf?"I do play a lot of it. I'm around like a 9 handicap right now. That's not bad, but I just enjoy it. I enjoy it a lot. It's good to get out with your friends. You create a lot of good bonds with teammates and even people outside of hockey."
Did you play with your family a lot growing up? "My dad played a little bit of golf. He played hockey as well. Golf, hockey, he was the one that got me into it. I went to a golf camp when I was younger, then I stopped for a little bit, then I picked it up my first year with the Steelheads again. I started playing again about three years ago."
Do you have any moments that stand out?"I lipped out of a hole in one. It was a short par 3, about 130, 140 (yards). I put it up there nice and it lipped out. That's it. I don't have a hole in one. That's probably the closest to it. That's probably the coolest moment in golf, when you get a hole in one."
What's the best round you've shot?"77 or 78."

Ole Bjorgvik-Holm

I'm guessing your home country of Norway isn't the biggest golf hotspot in the world, but have you started to play with the guys in Mississauga at all?"I bought my own set of clubs now, and I think I'm going to get really into it. I've never played an actual round, but I've been swinging and trying to get that basic swing down, and then I'm going to start playing with the guys. I actually went to TopGolf last week and I scored 185 on 20 balls, which is not bad! I know the basics, and I know that's what every guy here does."
Right? Hockey players love their golf, don't they?"Perfect lifestyle, eh? Play hockey and then play golf after. That's really cool. I want to get out there and start playing."
Was it really big with the guys in Mississauga? "Every guy over here loves golf. We have (Norwegian touring pro) Viktor Hovland, he's on the Tour and he's really exciting because Norway doesn't have that many golfers. It's cool to watch him and what he's doing. It's pretty amazing."

Denton Mateychuk

Do you get a chance to play much? "I like to go out and play with my buddies and my brothers. Whatever it is, just go out there and have fun."
Are you a good player?"A little bit. I might need a couple of warmup shots (at TopGolf), but I think once I get going, I'll be all right."
Did you grow up playing with family? "Me and my older brother and my two younger brothers, we love to go out there. There's a golf course in Dominion City (Manitoba) where I live. It's a nine-hole course and 18 and under is free, so you get out there whenever you want pretty much."
You have a big family; it has to be pretty competitive out there. "Yeah, when you're go out there, you're playing against each other."