We gathered a small group of my junior students today for another golf course design class. This time I was able to be present and I am honored that Mr. Swanson is willing to donate his time to come alongside Beaver Golf in helping junior golfers expand their knowledge about golf. He did a great job of connecting how knowledge gained from math, science and even history can be applied in the various stages of golf course design. I truly appreciated how the golfers were engaged while he shared the course plans. Mr. Swanson actually used my sign to help the golfers understand how to read contour lines in his designs. The class lasted about an hour which also included a demonstration of how greens are created. One of my high school players said, "I have been playing golf for almost 6 years now and I will admit I never considered what is going on underneath the greens. It was really eye-opening." Now they have a better understanding of why it is so important to respect the greens by repairing ball marks and never applying pressure to your putter while on the green. Another highlight for some of the golfers was following the drainage system. Since many of them have encountered standing water in fairways or bunkers at local courses, they were surprised to know that the cause could be improperly installed or poorly maintained drainage systems. Mr. Swanson also explained that we live in the country that has the most golf courses in the world, we live in the state that has the most golf courses in the U.S. and we live in the county that has the most golf courses in the state. It seems like there is no better place to learn to play golf or to learn about the golf industry. If your golfer would like to be invited to a future class, send me a note.
My student, Jayda Dookie, returned from her trip to San Francisco and her response is exactly why I chose to affiliate with First Tee: The John Deere event was very engaging and I learned a lot about the working world. Overall it was an eye opening experience, and I quite enjoyed it. The program had guest speakers, mostly women, to show us different skills and give us a little background on the different paths life might take you on. There were many great discussions on how to market ourselves for both college and the future. Of course, business isn't the only thing we discussed, we volunteered at the Pomeroy Center, which is aimed at rehabilitation and education for people with disabilities. We spent a couple hours teaching people how to play golf there and I was really proud that I was able to make a difference, even if it was small, in some of their lives. I will cherish the experience. Beyond that, I went sightseeing at Muir Woods and took a boat tour around the Bay. The area was much different than Florida and it was pretty cold in San Francisco. We played at The Olympic Club, home of the 2012 U.S Open and 2021 Women's Open. I loved the course, and I wish I could play there everyday. I am so grateful to the First Tee and John Deere for the opportunity, and I hope many more young women get to experience it next year. It really is life changing! I am looking forward to seeing what lies ahead for Jayda and I am hopeful that more of my students will be selected for these opportunities in the future.
On Friday, several of my junior golf students participated in the local qualifier of Drive, Chip and Putt which is a free competition for junior golfers that is held each year. The finalists will be invited to compete in Augusta, GA to kick off Masters Week.
This particular qualifer was hosted by The Falls Club of the Palm Beaches. Tee times started at 8 am and continued through the afternoon. The overall top 3 point earners in each age group advanced to the Sub-regionals in August and the top 3 point earners in each skill received ribbons.
When I first learned that so many were planning to compete I was incredibly humbled. I can only hope that my students are developing the confidence to step out of the comfort zone of class and play on some level and when they do I feel extremely blessed that I get to do what I do.
I was told that the golfers and their families enjoyed the experience and they were happy to stay after their tee time to cheer on one another. One Mom even commented that the event was a great way to give the golfers a taste of competition on a small stage. She is absolutely correct. Each of the golfers is deserving of congratulations for just trying.
Abriella Morrison Girls 7-9
Blake Mayer Boys 7-9 Luke Sterijevski Boys 7-9 Xander Trivlis Boys 7-9 Amelia Mayer Girls 10-11 Marina Sterijevksi Girls 10-11 Mateo Muñiz Boys 10-11 Sofia Mayer Girls 12-13 Vivian Sterijevski Girls 12-13 Blake Leon Boys 14-15
Congratulations to Abriella Morrison, Amelia Mayer and Mateo Muñiz who will be moving on to the Sub-Regionals where they will compete against other golfers that advanced in their local qualifiers. I am very proud of them!!
Golf is a fun sport to play but it is also a business with many different career opportunities. I always encourage my students to think creatively about golf holes when I ask them to design a hole. I have received some rather unique and carefully thought out ideas over the last few years. When I was advised that a local golf course designer was willing to share his knowledge with my students I was more than happy to make that happen. Unfortunately, when the day came I had a personal conflict arise but my Junior Programming Manager, Mayda Muñiz was able to coordinate the event. Our guest speaker, Mr. Swanson was a big hit with the golfers: My kids loved the class and Shay is now on a mission to convince us to design at least a putting green in our backyard. (He’s even organizing a garage sale so he can start saving money for it.) -Jennifer Atkins, parent Annie said “Mr. Matt was reaaally good at drawing and I like that he gets to create things from his mind and make them become real. Also I didn’t know golf courses were so expensive!” Shay said “I really liked learning how putting greens were made. I didn’t know all that went into it and how many layers there were and why there needs to be that many layers to make it work.” “The golf course design class was super helpful by teaching me to understand the landscape shape no matter where you are. The fact that there are so many steps to a golf course is crazy! I didn’t know that underneath golf courses there were drainage with sand and pipes. The class was AWESOME!” -Emma Gard “Thank you so much for taking your time to show us all what you do for your job. You really encouraged me to do things you love.” - Olivia Gard It was certainly a very productive and inspiring day!
I have been fortunate to coach a lot of junior golfers over the years. Several develop a passion to play competitively and I am happy to help them develop the skill and mindset for that kind of play. In January, I was asked to coach a junior golfer with competitive experience from Peru. I was excited to see what she could do.
In the first lesson, I discovered that Micaela is very talented but she could be so much better with some adjustments to her swing. When I suggested the changes, she looked at me like my head was going to explode. While it was a difficult change, she saw the results immediately and committed to making the adjustment. As a student, Micaela is very astute and quick to grasp concepts. Her dedication to practicing and playing over the last couple of months yielded a 3rd place finish in the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour at Eagle Trace Golf Club in Coral Springs this past weekend. She shot an 85 and 81 in a two-day tournament. This win is extra special because she played against a former Peruvian teammate who consistently hit longer drives in the past. Armed with her new swing, those days are over and the future is bright for Micaela.
There's nothing like your first ACE! Congratulations Mica!!!
One Swing in the hole 167 yards.
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