74 The QUEE NS Courier • july 14, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com sports Golf Game Starts Young in City Parks Program BY MICHAEL RIZZO editorial@qns.com/@QNS They may only be 6, 7 or 8 years old but the young boys and girls taking part in the City Parks Golf program that began again on July 5 in locations around Queens might be a future Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth or Karrie Webb achieving golf stardom. The instructional program gives young children a chance to learn about the game of golf, get basic skills in hitting the ball and socialize with other kids, all for free. “I want her to have a like for golf and to learn the basics,” Marie Terranova of Little Neck said about having her 6-year-old daughter Lana enrolled in the program. “It’s great for the summer and great that’s it free for a single mom.” Lana seems to like it too and enjoys what every golfer seeks. “Sometimes I can make it in the hole,” she said. “Once I chipped it in.” At the start of the session on July 7 in Fresh Meadows’ Cunningham Park, on a sweltering hot morning, supervising instructor Arnold Gonshack told his 24 students to repeat the three basic rules of this golf school: safety, safety and having fun. Instructor Tiffany Robinson then had them practice covering their heads and ducking down if they hear someone shout “fore,” which is the golf term for an errant shot that might endanger people. There is real golf instruction: Gonshack shows the children how to grip golf clubs and used oversized plastic clubs and a tennis ball to have them practice teeing off and being on a simulated green. Robinson and fellow instructor Rebecca Markunas used metal clubs sized down to the height of the youngsters for drills on chipping and putting with plastic golf balls that are safe to use in a public park. “Golf has things you can learn and then play it your entire life,” said Gonshack about the sport’s appeal. Yoon Kim of Fresh Meadows enrolled her son William Chung in the program for the first time. Young William might already have a good sense of what many golfers know. “He said it’s not fun,” she recounted, “but it feels so good.” “My best part was putting,” William said. “I want to learn more about how to be the perfect golfer.” City Parks Golf is the City Parks Foundation program that has offered free lessons to children for more than 10 years. Children are grouped by age with separate sessions for 6-8 year olds and 9-17 year olds. The lessons are underwritten by the Foundation Lacoste so there’s no cost to families. Besides the Cunningham Park location, lessons are offered at Park of the Americas in Corona, Nautilus Field in Roy Wilkins Park in St. Albans and Kissena Park in Flushing. There are 938 kids registered for the golf instruction citywide including 385 in Queens. Bill Niklaus supervises City Parks Golf in the five boroughs along with being the golf coach at Archbishop Molloy High School in Briarwood. “This is a great, amazing sport,” he said. “There’s not much movement (of kids running around) but there is precision and if you start learning the game early it will pay off.” Niklaus also cited how the game can bring kids together and playing a round of golf means interacting with others on a social level. Denise Devito of Astoria sees that benefit as she brought her son Luke back for a second year of lessons. “He’s learning the etiquette of golf which is different from other sports — being quieter, respectful of others and being patient,” she said, and added that he’s also developed great putting skills. And when Luke was asked if he wants to grow up to be a golfer, he responded with a big smile and nod of the head. When the session for young kids ends, it’s time for the older group of students to start. They get basically the same lessons and are more focused on golf skills as befits an older audience. The current golf sessions end July 28 but registration for this month has closed. Registration for the program running Aug. 1-28 opened on July 7 at www.cityparksfoundation. org/cityparksgolf registration and enrollees must pre-register to secure a spot for a child. Photos by Michael Rizzo City Parks Golf instructor Rebecca Markunas shows 8-year-old Jelissa Barksdale how to set up her golf shot 6-year-old Lana Terranova practicing her swing William Chung practices his putting at the City Parks Golf program under the watchful eye of instructor Arnold Gonshack and other students
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