Lucky Local Girls of Golf

Several young ladies from the local area participated in this week's LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Team Championship at Kiawah Island. No one brought home a first place trophy but all of the participants won a trophy case full of good memories and exciting entree into the sport. Their participation was made possible by the Executive Women's Golf Association of Westchester County (EWGA Westchester) in partnership with Girls Golf of Rockland/Westchester who co-sponsor fundraising events and by provide volunteers and mentors.

Alice Hodge, 11 yrs old from Larchmont, NY, played in the two-person team tournament with a Girls Golf friend from Tennessee to place 4th in their flight, and Oliviia Stepper, 8 yrs old from Nyack, NY, participated in the Academy and was thrilled to be taught the physical and mental game of golf by wonderful LPGA/PGA professionals. Martha Kemp-Neilson from New Rochelle teamed up with another Girls Golf participant from Minnesota to place fourth in their division.

The program was introduced by the LPGA in 1989 to bring 7-17 year-old girls in to the game. The Rockland/Westchester chapter was formed in 2012. The program runs from May through August and includes educational clinics, organized practices, and mentored on-course play with EWGA volunteers. PGA teaching professionals Paula Slivinsky at the Fairwview golf Center and Sharon McQuillan at the Westchester Driving Range run clinics that teach participatns safety during play and proper mechanics of the golf swing. The mentors help out by teaching the rules of golf, etiquette of the game, and how to get around a golf course while having fun.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf