Junior golfers learning and having fun at AVCC
Last week during the two hottest days of the summer so far, over a dozen youngsters were ignoring the weather and concentrating instead on getting their 7-iron shots as close to perfect as possible. On the driving range of Aroostook Valley Country Club their instructor Steve Hansen was walking along the line of young golfers and giving pointers where they were needed. Once in a while he paused to watch a particularly good shot go well past the 100-yard marker.
The youths numbered about fifteen of the 34 registered participants in this year's Can/USA Youth Junior Golf program at AVCC. The eight-week course is sponsored by the USPGA and Aroostook Valley Country Club, has been going on for half a dozen years and is becoming more popular every year for youths on each side of the international border.
Every Tuesday and Wednesday half of those registered arrive at 11a.m. Canadian time and the other half at noon for instruction with Steve Hansen. Last Wednesday he watched the first group as they all started out with their irons.
"I like to start them out with the 7-iron just because it's a player-friendly club, one of the easier clubs in the bag to hit," he explained. "It's a little bit shorter and they get a little more feedback because they get lots of loft on it. I pay attention to their grip, their stance, and I make sure they finish their golf swing and hold that for three seconds. That allows them to commit to the golf ball and commit to the golf swing. If they hit three good ones in a row they can hit with other clubs.
Then Thursdays the ones that we feel are good enough to play and can walk the golf course go out and play nine holes."
There were no girls at the driving range last Wednesday morning but there are five registered for the program. "Normally there are two girls in this first class and three in the next class," Hansen said. As the assistant to AVCC Golf Pro Steve Leitch for several years and technically a pro golfer himself, Steve Hansen does many jobs at the club, including teaching.
"All we're trying to do, not being too strict about it," he said, referring to the youth program, "is to try and get them out here and see that they're enjoying it and trying to improve a bit; we don't want to make it too boring either." He watched youngster take a big swing. "Take your time," he advised. "It's not a race, we're looking for quality, not quantity."
Club Pro Steve Leitch, who manages the club and the Pro Shop, said he was pleased with the continuing interest in the annual course, and especially with the increasing interest from girls from the large area including Perth-Andover, Tobique First Nation, Fort Fairfield, Caribou and Presque Isle. "It really encompasses a fairly large area," he said. "The youth who have been with us now, some for as long as four or five years, are pretty avid golfers and we have some new ones as well. The numbers are looking good and the kids seem to be enjoying the program by the way they return year after year.
"We have five girls in the program and it's great, because there's a lot of opportunity for junior golfers, especially for girls. If they can get to a certain level they have an opportunity, through golf scholarships, to get their education. There are a lot of opportunities for girls in golf so I'm happy to see them out there playing and participating."
More Sports
Search Articles
More CE Network Sites & Partners:
