The best part of teaching golf to a bunch of kids is seeing how much fun they had, said local Pro Tom Tucker.
About a dozen years ago, Tucker founded the Batavia Country Club Junior Golf Camp.
"I like seeing the kids have fun, and every once in a while, we have somebody who really has some golf DNA in them, and it's fun watching them progress as golfers," Tucker said. "And I like being with the kids. It helps keep me young."
Tucker has been a United States Golf Teachers Federation certified instructor since 2005. He's been listed as a Top 100 teaching pro by the World Golf Teaching Federation since 2010.
The annual summer camp is broken into two groups. This week the camp is filled to capacity -- 25 students -- with 7 to 10-year-olds. Next week, the 12 to 15-year-old group arrives at Batavia Country Club.
Each group gets a week of instruction, practice and competition, with a tournament on Friday.
For the younger students, the focus is more on ensuring the kids learn to enjoy the game of golf while older students are given a bit more instruction. Both groups compete in chipping, pitching, lag putting, accuracy putting, and drives. The winners of each competition receive a medal.
"We've produced a lot of good golfers," Tucker said. Some students have gone on to play for their high school teams, Tucker said.
Tucker, this year is assisted by Roxanne Noth and Dominic NiCastro.
For more information on the golf camp and photos from past years, visit TomTuckerGolf.com.
Photos by Howard Owens
