XENIA — The 31st Annual Miami Valley Junior Golf Camp completed play June 22 at WGC Golf Course. Forty-three boys and 12 girls rotated through several stations, in order to learn the correct techniques for hitting irons and woods, pitching, chipping, putting, plus they were taught golf’s rules and etiquette.
Each golfer then applied what they’d learned by playing rounds of golf on the WGC course. One session featured contests for putting, chipping and long drives as the junior golfers competed in their respective age groups.
Another session featured a playing exhibition, put on by the instructors. The junior golfers became spectators in the gallery. In the scramble-formatted event, instructors recorded birdies on both holes. Each camper received a golf hat and a certificate for completing the 4-day camp.
“This was one of the best group of campers for listening and practicing their golf skills. We saw a vast improvement in their golf skills from Monday to Thursday. Their self confidence in ball striking showed rapid growth and this was very evident each day as they went out and played the course,” said Co-Director Jim Beaver. “We were very fortunate to have super weather each day for golf.”
Fellow director, Roy Cassidy, welcomed the input from course PGA pros Nathan Combs ad Gerry Curtis, who worked the driving range with the kids.
“Both Nathan and Gerry are former PGA pros who had been employed at WGC in the past 15 years. It was great to have them return and share their knowledge,” he said.
Riverside Stebbins boys coaches Rick Pagniano and Shane Williams; Abby Wiles (assistant coach for the Carroll High girls golf team), Beavercreek boys golf coach Chris Nartker, Westerville North girls coach Betsy Beaver Gegick and several others filled out the instructing staff.
The Junior Golf League, for golfers ages 8-17 who have some golfing experience and want to play in the 9-hole format, is scheduled to start on Wednesday, June 28 at WGC. Beaver, Cassidy and PGA Pro Garay Goecke run the league every Wednesday through the end of July. More information can be obtained by getting on the WGC Junior Golf link on the course website: wgcgolfcourse.com.
