FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com JULY 14 2016 • TIMES 51 sports St. John’s Prep and Master Christi High School annual golf outing Golf game starts young in City Parks program BY MICHAEL RIZZO editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com @RidgewoodTimes 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. 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 fi rst 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 fi ve 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. 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 befi ts 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/cityparks golf-registration and enrollees must pre-register to secure a spot for a child. The Big Apple Games recreational program hosted by I.S. 291, 231 Palmetto St., Bushwick, is now open for students in grades 5 through 9 through July 28. The free program includes breakfast and lunch for all participants. For more information, call 718-574-0361. ORTHODONTICS WWW.GLENRIDGEORTHODONTIST.COM Est. 1976 FREE* Consultation and Exam WWW.GLENRIDGEORTHODONTIST.COM Medicaid Approved Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics Vincent J. Bilello, D.D.S., ABO Diplomate, Specialists in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics 65-34 Myrtle Ave., Glendale, NY 11385 Most Insurance Accepted As Partial or Full Payment 1-718-381-2965 Alumni from Mater Christi High School and alumni from St. John’s Prep, as well as friends of The Prep enjoyed another great day at their 19th Annual Golf Classic. The Classic was held again at the beautiful Seawane Country Club. Alumni shared memories of their high school days as they enjoyed the green grass, a blue sky, and gentle breeze. At the wonderful dinner at the conclusion of the day, awards were presented to the most successful golfers. School principal William Higgins thanked all the alumni and friends of the school for their support of the Golf Classic and ultimately for the support of today’s students. All left with plans to attend the 20th Classic on June 20 of next year. George Salamy (SJP ’63), Jerry O’Shea, Lewis Fusillo (SJP ’65), and Mort O’Shea (SJP ‘63) get ready to tee off. Bob Neufeld, a former teacher at Mater Christi, joins his brother Joe Neufeld (MC ’69), Frank Nardi, and Jim Drum for a round of golf. Photos courtesy of St. John’s Prep School
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