Alliance News
Issue 1 Fall 2012
Clinic teaches next generation
of women golfers in New York
By Mike Dougherty Journal News
HARRISON, NewYork- There was no
masking the enthusiasm as Katie Sholtis
talked about golf’s cool factor. A mouth
full of braces was on full display, adding
wattage to a wide smile as the 12-year-old
chatted about the game on the driving
range Monday at Westchester Country
Club.
There aren’t many girls on the course
when she plays at the Apawamis Club, so
it was fun to join 125 peers for Girls to the
Tee, a clinic started four years ago by the
Women’s Met Golf Association to provide
inspiration and motivation for the next
generation.
“I’ve been playing my whole life,” said
Sholtis, a resident of Rye. “Except for one
friend, I don’t know many other girls who
play.”
There was a colorful army of up-andcoming players from the region on hand
for the clinic. Some have clearly spent
time on the range already. There were just
as many beginners learning the basics.
And some were most excited by the snack
tables.
“ Sometimes I can hit the ball 100
yards,” said Oliva Stepper, a 7-year-old
http://www.womensgolfalliance.org
Girls
explore
the cool
factor of
golf.
from Nyack.
More than a dozen teaching
professional from area clubs gave up a few
hours on their one day off to provide
instruction. The girls spent time
developing full-swing mechanics,
mastering the short game and learning
etiquette and te chnique on the putting
green.
It’s a day where having fun and making
friends are emphasized.
“For a lot of these girls, even from local
clubs they’re not seeing other girls play,”
said Monique Thoresz, a teaching
professional from Apawamis. “It’s very
important they see that other girls do
play. It’s about growing the game and
growing awareness. We take them as they
are and let them know there’s a place for
them.”
The program was started by past
WMGA junior golf chair Nancy Rees.
Gary Weir, the Director of instruction
at the Westchester Country Club, and
Thoresz recruit and organize the local pros
who provide the hands-on instruction.
Many of the girls do not come from the
club scene and are in awe of the
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