ESPN RISE

Standing in his backyard as a toddler, Cody Gribble was just doing what felt right.

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Cody Gribble committed to Texas as a freshman.

Across from Gribble was his father, Phil, swinging a golf club right-handed like more than 90 percent of the golfing population. Cody faced his dad and copied his movements, very quickly picking up the particulars of the golf swing.

There was just one hitch: By mirroring his father's movements, Gribble developed a left-handed swing.

It's not that lefties are at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to playing golf, it's more of a logistical issue. Proper lefty clubs can be difficult to find, especially for junior golfers, and many instructors are unfamiliar with teaching the game from the left side.

As a result, lefties are scarce on the PGA Tour, and only three have ever won major championships (Phil Mickelson, Mike Weir and Bob Charles). Gribble's father knew all this and did everything he could to reverse his son's natural inclination.

"He'd set me up righty and have me take some practice swings, then he'd come back and check on me a few minutes later and I would be back swinging lefty," Gribble says. "He couldn't get me around no matter what he tried."

Now a senior at Highland Park, Gribble remembers having a little difficulty finding left-handed clubs when he was younger, and his parents once had to order a set for him from Europe. But his track record indicates being a lefty hasn't slowed him down a bit.

Gribble was rated the nation's No. 12 junior golfer in the American Junior Golf Association's Polo Rankings as of press time. The Texas recruit is also the reigning Class 4A state champion. And many of the same factors that allowed Gribble to pick up golf at such a young age -- instinct, dedication and intelligence -- have allowed him to stay ahead of the curve at every step of his budding career.

"Cody is a thinker on the course -- he's an analyst," says Art Spencer, who coached Highland Park last spring. "If you watch him play, you can see the wheels in his golf brain at work. He understands all the intricacies of the game."

Gribble has remarkable golf instincts thanks to a childhood spent making courses his playgrounds. His home venue was the Brook Hollow Golf Course, a spot where he played countless rounds after school and during the summer beginning at 6 years old. He owned the junior course record with a score of 68 by the time he was 13 and has lowered that number year after year so it now stands at 64.

With those kinds of results, it's no surprise Gribble began dominating junior tournaments. At one of his first tourneys in the 12-14 age bracket, he broke 70 for the first time during a great round that included five consecutive birdies en route to an easy title.

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Cody Gribble is seeking his second class 4A state individual championship.

Many more championships followed, but Gribble never lost focus or tried to take on a new challenge too early. And when it finally came time to jump to a new level, he always made sure he was prepared.

Long before stepping foot in Highland Park, Gribble was already extremely familiar with high school golf. During middle school, he and his father would make the trip to the regional and state tournaments to watch the Scots in action as often as possible.

"We would see him and his dad out there all the time," recalls longtime Highland Park coach Jeff Loyd, who is back with the Scots after serving as an assistant coach at Baylor during the 2007-08 season. "I didn't get to know him too well during that time, but we all knew who Cody was by the time he got to school."

Gribble wasted no time making his presence felt as a freshman, carding rounds of 71 and 68 at the Class 4A state tournament to finish in second place. He was integral in helping the Scots win their record seventh consecutive team state title that season as well.

"I was looking forward to playing in high school for so long because Highland Park sports are such a big deal around here," says Gribble, who committed to the Longhorns during his freshman year. "Some other people might have had different goals for themselves during high school. But Texas high school golf is tough, and I knew if I could do well against those fields, I'd be in good shape."

Gribble checked off the No. 1 goal on his high school to-do list last spring when he fired consecutive rounds of 2-under-par 70 to win the Class 4A state tourney by five strokes. And now that he has one individual state title on his résumé, Gribble is eyeing a second state crown, hoping to join the likes of two-time winners Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Justin Leonard and Trip Kuehne.

His high school success has been astounding, but Gribble has also fared well on the national junior circuit. He has amassed more than a dozen Top 10 finishes at major tournaments the past four summers, including a victory at the prestigious 2007 Western Junior Championship.

"Cody realizes he's blessed with a remarkable amount of talent, but what makes him so good is that he is always working to get better," Loyd says. "Every season he comes back and he's a better player thanks to that combination of natural talent and hard work."

Two traits Gribble has displayed since he first learned to swing a golf club.

Matt Remsberg covers high school sports for ESPNRISE.com