The Las Sendas Junior Golf Academy hosted the end of summer golf tournament in late July.
A total of 25 participants, including 19 boys and six girls, shared in the tournament fun. There were seven instructors on hand, and more than 10 volunteers took part. In addition, there were more than 20 parents and three sets of grandparents viewing the competition. In addition, an abundance of trophies and prizes made this event an overwhelming success.
The children were grouped by age, gender and skill level. All the children received participant ribbons. The first and second place winners of each age group were awarded special trophies in their respective masculine and feminine colors.
Everyone who played received a four-course lunch buffet. Even the family members and volunteers were complimentary guests of the Las Sendas Golf Academy. Almost every child had that gleam in their eyes, reflecting how much they wanted to win the big trophy. It proved to be a very exciting day for the children, spectators and instructors alike.
Similar to past years, there were three special categories, which Director of Instruction Ben Weir and Associate Instructor Tracy Berman created for the children. The categories were: Most Improved, Best Listener and the Sportsmanship Award. “These categories mean more to us rather than how the children score in the tournament,” Ben stated. “At this age, what truly matters is to keep these children interested in the game where they continually grow at their own pace.”
For all levels of play, Ben promotes lots of cognitive thinking, proper physical movements and skill challenges. Lemonades, frozen treats, snacks, prizes and picks from the candy-toy bag are always the highlight for the children at the end of every practice. These goodies serve as rewards to the children for a job well done. This removes any chance of boredom, and provides camaraderie and cohesiveness among the group. For Ben and Tracy, forming new friendships, a broad perspective on learning golf basics, and having fun in the sport is what it’s all about.
Tournament results proved to be another exciting race to the finish in a few age groups. There were four boys’ and two girls’ divisions. Reagan VanNorman won the girl’s youngest division, with a score of 27. Natasha Fox won the older age group, with a score of 22, narrowly edging out Emilia Yoon by one stroke. The girls respectably played four holes in both age groups.
The youngest division was the boys’ age 6 and under, playing three holes from 100 yards out. Eddy Jetton won this division, with a score of 27, and Logan Skelton finished in second place, with 32 strokes.
The next age division was 7- and 8-year-old boys, playing four holes from the same 100 yards away. Davis Weir tied the lowest score of any player in the tournament, winning this division with a score of 20, averaging only five strokes per hole. Luke Ruedemann came in second place, with a very respectable score of 27. The largest age group was the boys’ 10- to 12-year-olds rounding out 10 players. They played four holes from 150 yards away.
Wyatt Woffinden was up to his usual winning ways, with a score of 20, but right on his heels was the sweet swinging left-hander Rory Lotz, who almost caught him with a score of 21. The oldest boys’ group was 13 and up, which proved to be the most exciting finish. Erick Deyden won in a sudden death playoff, sinking a 30-foot putt for birdie on the very first hole to win his first division title over Trenton VanNorman. They both carded a score of 33 over five holes from the forward copper tees.
Ben would like to thank all the parents, instructors and volunteers in the Las Sendas community for making this summer so successful for the children. This year’s camps experienced surprisingly cool and very bearable weather compared to past summers. Only three mornings of camp were above 85 degrees in the morning.
“We hope to see everyone back next summer and this fall after school on Fridays for the avid juniors,” Ben said.
The Friday camps will run during the school year, starting on Nov. 2 and running through April 26, with a season-ending tournament. Each youth group will again be categorized by age, skill level and gender. Special sibling requests are normally permitted.
The Friday camps run from 4 to 5:30 p.m., except holidays. The cost is $30 per week, per person. Join the excitement with flexible Fridays, from November through April. Participants can join the fun during any month or any week, since the curriculum is constantly changing. The camp boasts a rare 5-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio.
For more information, contact Ben Weir at (602) 391-7100, or send an e-mail to bweir@lassendas.com.