GILROY
– Seventeen-year-old Miguel Maldonado has never played a round
of golf and doesn’t own his own clubs, but that isn’t stoping him
from slicing a 9-iron. He swings the 9 again – slice. Hook. Clank.
Slice. It’s over 100 degrees at Eagle Ridge Golf Club; Maldonado
pauses to wipe the sweat from his f
ace. He swings again, connecting with a perfect 9-iron, then
turns around revealing a grin as big as a British Open bunker.
GILROY – Seventeen-year-old Miguel Maldonado has never played a round of golf and doesn’t own his own clubs, but that isn’t stoping him from slicing a 9-iron. He swings the 9 again – slice. Hook. Clank. Slice. It’s over 100 degrees at Eagle Ridge Golf Club; Maldonado pauses to wipe the sweat from his face. He swings again, connecting with a perfect 9-iron, then turns around revealing a grin as big as a British Open bunker.
“That’s what it’s all about,” says Scott Krause, Eagle Ridge’s golf professional and director of instruction, who is also the man receiving Maldonado’s smile. “Seeing their reaction when they finally get it is the best part.”
Maldonado is one of about 30 Latino Gilroy youth receiving free weekly lessons from Krause this summer as part of a $5,000 “Growth of the Game” grant donated to Eagle Ridge the past two summers by the PGA.
The grant provides 10 weeks of free lessons and golf equipment to Hispanic youth who live in Gilroy with the purpose of introducing young Latinos to golf.
Last Sunday, the introductions seemed to be going over pretty well.
Walking up and down a row of 13 kids ages 7 to 17 at Eagle Ridge’s back driving range, Krause stops at each player to watch a few swings, giving brief instructions before moving on.
Only two of the 13 kids filling the range have golf bags next to their grass spots. The others fish for clubs in a large bag of eclectic Eagle Ridge strays. After selecting their clubs they fill a bucket, or in some cases their pant pockets and shirts, with as many free range balls as possible.
“I’ve always been into golf,” said Maldonado, a varsity wrestler for Gilroy High School who credits Krause for turning his raw attempts at hitting a golf ball into smooth swings. “But I’ve never really had a chance to play because I don’t have any clubs. My mom told me she read about free lessons in the paper, so I figured this was my best chance to learn. … Scott’s taught me a lot.”
Maldonado isn’t alone in his enthusiasm for hitting free golf balls under the watchful eye of an accredited teaching pro.
Eight-year-old Oliva Trevino – no relation to Senior PGA Tour Pro Lee Trevino – is the only girl in Krause’s early Sunday session. She hits so many golf balls in her hour lesson that she has to sit down after developing a blister on her hand. But five minutes later, she’s back on her feet with a club back in her hand and ready to hit more balls.
“This is a great program for all of the kids,” said Gary Trevino, the father of Oliva and her 8-year-old brother Evan, who was also taking lessons Sunday. “It’s always great to teach kids a different sport, but I think golf is special because it teaches integrity and honesty with yourself. And who better to learn from than a pro?”
Long considered a country club sport for rich, mostly white patrons, successful PGA pros and like Lee Trevino, Chi Chi Rodriquez, and now Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods, have paved the way for a younger generation of minority golf players to develop a love for the game.
“I like watching Tiger (Woods) play on TV,” said Jared Juarez, 12, who plays basketball and baseball but only recently began playing golf. “(Krause) teaches me how to hit my driver far and how to put the ball on the tee. It’s fun just to play and see how far you can hit the ball.”
Along with teaching swing mechanics and basic golf etiquette, Krause tries to make his lessons as fun as possible. After all, being able to smile after you hit a shot – good or bad – is what the game is all about, Krause said.
Krause makes sure to include games and shot challenges in his weekly classes, and during the 10th and final week of the lessons, he will organize a 9-hole tournament for the kids participating in the program.
“We had the tournament last year and it was great to see how far some of the kids came over the summer,” he said.
The PGA grant is guaranteed to Eagle Ridge through 2004, but even if the program isn’t extended, Krause said he will find a way to keep the free lessons at Eagle Ridge.
“The truth is that a lot of these kids would never be out here if it wasn’t for the free lessons,” he said. “They need somewhere to start.”
To reserve a spot for Krause’s free classes for Latino youth call Eagle Ridge Golf Club at 864-4531. Classes are Sundays from noon to 1 p.m. and 1 to 2 p.m.
