CLCF golf program strong off the tee

William Geoghegan
Posted 10/1/14

Kids can start early in a lot of sports, taking swings for tee-ball teams and putting shots on net for soccer squads, all before they hit kindergarten.

In golf, it’s not so easy. It’s a sport …

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CLCF golf program strong off the tee

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Kids can start early in a lot of sports, taking swings for tee-ball teams and putting shots on net for soccer squads, all before they hit kindergarten.

In golf, it’s not so easy. It’s a sport that requires access, and getting access for kids beyond a putter in the backyard can be difficult.

“Golf is one of those sports – you need a golf course,” said Josh Procaccianti. “You’re not just putting up a basketball hoop in your driveway.”

But on Wednesdays at Mulligan’s Island this fall, kids aren’t having any trouble, thanks to CLCF’s new golf program. More than 60 are signed up for the eight-week crash course.

“It’s going well,” said Procaccianti, the program’s director. “We had a session in the spring and it was a good turnout. I think word got out.”

CLCF has long sponsored programs in more than a dozen sports, and these days, the organization is branching out, with golf added to the docket this year and volleyball coming in 2015.

The golf program made its debut this past spring, with cooperation from Mulligan’s Island and its director of golf operations Mike Hughes. It was an immediate success, so the organization gave a green light to the fall session.

Procaccianti’s phone started ringing.

“The fall, we were originally going to cap it at 24 kids,” Procaccianti said. “I must have got 35, 40 people calling and we didn’t want to turn kids away. We wanted as many playing as possible. So I talked to the golf pro here and we figured out a way to make it work.”

Thirty young golfers are getting their feet wet in the 6 to 9-year-old age group. There are another 20 in the 9 to 12-year-old group. They’re all at Mulligan’s Island every Wednesday, working at the driving range or the pitch-and-putt. The program will conclude with a full round on the pitch-and-putt course. The cost is $125 for the full eight weeks.

Another half-dozen older kids are getting the opportunity to play the Mulligan’s Island Par 3 Course, with Hughes alongside and giving them pointers. Kids pay $150 for that part of the program.

“I think it caught on even more than we anticipated,” Procaccianti said. “It just clicked. We wanted to try it once, see how it worked. It took off from there.”

The younger groups are learning the basics, and kids that don’t have clubs can borrow them from Mulligan’s Island. They focus on a different part of the game every week, from putting to chipping to hitting with irons. Hughes and two helpers give basic pointers, without burying kids in the details. The idea is to lay a foundation.

“Mike does a great job with the kids,” Procaccianti said. “He breaks it down as much as he can for them. He doesn’t go over the top and try to teach every nook and cranny of their swing. It’s just going out there and playing and getting them to like it.”

It seems to be working. Procaccianti’s son is part of the program, and Procaccianti says golf is all he talks about.

“You can really see them progressing,” Procaccianti said. “Every week, they get a little better, a little more confident, a little more comfortable.”

They may not be hitting 200-yard drives quite yet, but they’re on their way, thanks to a springboard they never had before.

“It’s a great opportunity for kids,” Procaccianti said. “Golf is expensive. For a 6, 7-year-old, you’re not going to take them out on the course and play because it’s going to be a waste of money. They come here, they learn, they practice. If it clicks, then you can take them further.”

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