Several of my students attended the Gainbridge LPGA Junior Clinic today where they had an opportunity to hear from LPGA tour players: Rachel Rohanna, Allison Emery, and Haley Moore.  Based on the feedback that I received everyone had a blast. A few of them even won their putting challenges.   

I will admit, I was not familiar with these pros so I had to do some research and I was very impressed with the stories I found.  Check them out below and be inspired!

When I first learned I was receiving the "Coach of the Year" Award from First Tee, I laughed because I don't consider myself to be award worthy.  I absolutely love teaching juniors and I do it for them.  I want them to have the opportunity to learn golf, a sport they can play for their rest of their lives, a sport they can play with their friends, with their family and build memories.  It is also a sport that can open up doors if you are willing to put in the effort. 

Today, I was presented with the award by Emily Valentine, Director of Program Development-First Tee Florida Gold Coast, at the beginning of my Tuesday group of homeschool golfers and I was humbled.  I was not expecting to be overwhelmed with cards and gifts for this achievement.  This award really belongs to the parents and juniors that I teach because without them I would not be able to do what I enjoy.  

I am especially grateful to the Village of Royal Palm Beach for this great facility which allows me to accommodate so many juniors. Quite honestly, I am only able to do what I do because I have a great team of coaches on my team that are willing to join me in expanding my junior classes to others.  I also cannot say enough about my awesome for lack of a better word "assistant" who takes care of the BIG stuff so I can just teach.   

I am honored and grateful to have had this memorable experience.

It is hard to believe that another season of golf is coming to a close for my junior students.  I could not be more proud of the accomplishments that they have achieved.  Playing for your high school team is a privilege but when you or your team qualify for regionals that is awesome.  Congratulations to Annika Collado, Jayda Dookie and Vrishti Patel.  Annika qualified individually as a freshman!  

In addition to playing on his high school team as a freshman, Thomas Nevico stayed busy playing U.S. Kids Tournaments.  He finished first over the weekend with a 79 at Jensen Beach Golf Club in the Tour Championship and he will be playing in the South Florida PGA Junior Section Prep Tour Championship this weekend at Sandhill Crane Golf Club.  Mateo Muniz, 9, who moved up to the Prep Tour earlier this fall to compete in 18-hole tournaments will be joining him.  

Moving up means that you are ready to challenge yourself and my homeschool junior golfers are doing just that.  Over the summer, Mateo qualified for the Sub-regionals of Drive Chip and Putt for the first time while some siblings stepped out of their comfort zone to just compete.  Vivian, Marina and Luke had a blast!  I continue to be impressed with their energy and enthusiasm for golf.

When that energy sends you to the course to play a round with friends or to compete against other golfers your age that is awesome.  This past weekend, Abriella played in her second Links Tournament while Josh and Bella will be teeing off for their first competitive rounds in the Under Armour tournament series this Saturday.  No matter what the scorecard says, they are winners because they made the decision to get out there and have some fun.  Golf has to be fun first, improvements on the scorecard will come in time.

One student who knows how to put in the time to improve his scorecard is Blake.  Blake took a break from golf during the pandemic but came back with a fire to play this fall.  His commitment to practicing at least twice a week on course and completing assignments led him to complete the Player and Par levels in record time.  He has a goal to start competing after the first of the year.  

These are just a few of the stories that I am honored to share.  It is my pleasure to be apart of them in a small way. 

Based on interest from some of my homeschool families, I decided to offer a Golf Summer Camp this year.  In order for it to be successful, I would not only need my usual team of coaches but I also wanted my teenage golf students to join the team as volunteers.  I believed their participation would add another layer of fun and relatability to the experience.  

Additionally, I thought the experience would help them learn patience. As they helped a younger golfer, they would naturally notice the technique flaws that plague them in their own swing. The end result their own game could potentially improve. 

Fortunately, when I started sharing the opportunity with my students, I received overwhelming support for their involvement.  Several of my students, even signed up to volunteer for at least 3 of the 4 summer camp sessions that I was offering. I was very pleased because this shows that while golf may be an individual sport, it is also a community.

My volunteers did not disappoint.  They arrived early for set up and often stayed after camp to practice their own skills.  They were willing to do whatever was asked of them without complaint.  Most importantly, they were not shy about working with the younger golfers offering tips and guidance when it was needed.  

I could not be more proud.  Sharing knowledge and paying it forward...this is how we grow the sport!!

I am thankful that my schedule has been busy but that means I get behind on recognizing my junior students who have been playing golf competitively this season. This is long overdue, I am proud of each of them for getting out to play golf. It is my honor to coach them!!

Sara is probably my busiest junior competing in tournaments hosted by the South Florida PGA Junior Section, Under Armour and U.S. Kids.  She is 8 years old but she is competing in the 9-11 age division.  Recently she took second place at Banyan Cay Resort and Golf with a score of 44 and at Country Club of Miami with a score of 46.  She is currently in fifth place overall in the U.S. Kids West Palm Beach Local Tour.

Mateo is competing in tournaments hosted by the South Florida PGA Junior Section and Under Armour this season.  He is 9 years old, competing in the 9-11 age division.  He recently placed third with a 41 at Jensen Beach Golf Club and has three second place finishes in the South Florida PGA Junior Section: shooting 41and 42 at Banyan Cay Resort and Golf on separate occasions and 41 at Country Club of Miami. 

Thomas is 13 and he enjoys competing in U.S. Kids 18 hole tournaments.  He competes in the 13-14 age division and  recently placed first at The Saints Golf Course with a score of 74.  He is currently in fourth place overall in the U.S. Kids West Palm Beach Local tour.  This is incredible considering Thomas had a rough start to the season and had to recover from surgery. 

David is 14 and he is competing in tournaments hosted by the South Florida PGA Junior Section and Under Armour in the 12-14 age division.   Since this is his first year playing competitive golf he is playing 9 hole tournaments with hopes of moving up to 18 very soon.  So far, David has a first place finish at Country Club of Miami with a 39, three second place finishes and two third place finishes.