Anyone up for golf in the Cayman Islands??

October 28th, 2010 11:27am - Posted By: Tiffanie

It seems that golf is have a rough go of it internationally as well as in the U.S. but SNAG provides some golf associations, such as the Cayman Islands in the article below, hope that future generations will take up the sport for life.  Good luck!!! 

 

Swingers driving for kiddie SNAG By: Matthew Yates | matthew@cfp.ky
26 October 2010
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Local golf is not in the best of positions at the moment but a new initiative aimed at youngsters should be a welcome swing forward.

The Cayman Islands Golf Association has recently purchased two Starting New At Golf golf kits to introduce the sport to Cayman’s children. The kits are golf teaching programmes designed to introduce beginners to the fundamentals of golf in a safe and inexpensive way. Each kit contains specially designed plastic golf clubs, rubber golf balls and various other teaching accessories and costs around US$2,150. 

Golf association secretary David Bird states the plan for the kits is to implement them in local schools in the near future. “We plan to offer the use of the SNAG kits to both primary and secondary schools here in the Cayman Islands,” Bird said. “It’ll be free of charge for use in physical education programs. We have received great feedback from our colleagues at the Trinidad and Tobago Golf Association on the SNAG programme within their public school system.

“We believe that this is an excellent way to introduce kids to golf who would otherwise never have the opportunity to learn the game. As an organisation, we feel that this is an important investment to continue the development of golf in the Cayman Islands.”

The program has been recognised in the United States as meeting many of the standards set by the National Association of Sport and Physical Education for an effective physical education programme.

Sentiments among the local golf community in regards to the kits have been positive. Among those in favour of the new endeavour is top male golfer Joel Dodson. The KPMG accountant, who doubles as the treasurer of the golf association, states the kits can keep positive vibes around the sport.

“With the kits they’ve been used in Trinidad and Barbados and it’s a big success,” Dodson said. “It’s important to get the kids playing. That is how golf will continue here; by introducing it to the schools. That’s how Johnny and Samantha Widmer started when they were really young.”

News of the kits comes during a relatively down time for the sport. The home of local golf, the North Sound Golf Club, is drawing closer to being closed with the development of the Ritz-Carlton’s Blue Tip course. In addition the junior golf program did not start up as expected this fall and national team coach Kevin Mumford unexpectedly left Cayman.

Golf association president Judy Van Liere states the implementation of the new kits is a challenge. “It’s a work in progress starting SNAG in all of the schools and introducing them to golf,” Van Liere said. “It’s been extra difficult as well with the uncertainty around the golf club. We initially planned to start it this September. At this point all I can tell you is it’s moving forward.

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SNAG Clinic for veterans at Walter Reed

October 25th, 2010 12:52pm - Posted By: Tiffanie

We provided SNAG equipment for the veterans at Walter Reed a while back.  They have used it for clinics and are having a blast!  Darin, the clinic coordinator, was nice enough to send us some pictures of the good times the veterans were having. When I asked him about what the veterans thought about SNAG he said, "Besides it being a nice training/beginner device many thought it was a really cool idea for a safe lawn game at a cookout etc. The equipment is very fun and extremely well made." Good to hear!  There are no boundaries for who can play SNAG and where it can be played. To see more pictures, click HERE to go to our Facebook page.

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Rick Grayson Urges Golf Industry to Take Action

October 14th, 2010 1:13pm - Posted By: Tiffanie

Rick Grayson is the most celebrated golf coach in the Midwest. He has been voted Midwest Section PGA Teacher of the Year five times!  To put it mildly, Rick knows his stuff.  He also knows the golf industry, and he is very concerned. 

Along with being an excellent teaching professional, Rick is also the president of the Heart of the Ozarks Junior Golf Association. It is in this role that he has made considerable strides to expose thousands of kids to the great game of golf. Over the past 9 years the association has raised 1.3 million dollars for junior golf.  Rick uses SNAG Golf along with other tools to teach juniors, but he states, "SNAG is THE BEST WAY to expose kids to golf".  He feels that SNAG has the greatest ability impact on the golf community by growing the game for future generations. 

The Heart of the Ozarks Junior Golf Association has worked very hard to raise funds to get SNAG into the hands of kids in the 37 Springfield elementary schools. There are 7,000 to 8,000 children in these schools that now have access to a proven method to learn golf while being active and having fun. Through SNAG thousand of kids (and adults) are being exposed to golf that otherwise wouldn't be. Rick's program matched each school with a local golf professional. These pros provided an orientation for the physical educators at each of the schools. The owner of SNAG (aka "SNAGDADDY") and his wife, a physical educator with a PhD in Kinesiology (scientific study of human movement), also provided a group training. Rick continues to provide individual consulting and follow up with each school to ensure continued success. Rick poses this question to the golf industry, "What else can you do to have such a large impact to reach thousands of kids with such a small investment?" 

After seeing SNAG in action in the schools Rick started an afterschool "SNAG League" for kids that wanted to continue refining their skills. The first year the League had 29 kids, the second year it had 51 kids. This year they plan to do something VERY innovative and VERY cool! They are hosting a SNAG-A-School competition where each school has a team consisting of 10 kids. The teams will all compete against one another in a SNAG tournament for prizes.  The five hole course will have two skill competitions: closest to the hole and putting. The prizes are all tied to the schools receiving money to purchase sports activity equipment. The school that takes first prize will receive $500 for equipment, second prize is $300, and ALL of the remaining teams get $100 each thanks to the money raised by the Heart of the Ozarks Junior Golf Association.

Even though SNAG Tournaments are tons of fun and a great way to raise funds, the Association has focused on raising money the traditional way through golf tournaments and by asking the generous community for donations. Rick, along with the junior golfers, demonstrated using SNAG equipment and methodology to their golfing friends in the community and had great results.  Rick has been a trusted member in the community for 30 years, so a great reputation doesn't hurt either! Rick states, "Most Golf Pros would be surprised how open donations can be. Most golfers care about Junior Golf".

Most golf courses host a tournament every year to raise awareness or funding for a charity or cause. Rick wants to know why the golf industry won't take the time to help itself.  He feels that most courses aren't thinking hard enough about the future of the game. Rick passionately states, "If we don't change we won't have any golfers left as we are losing them all to other activities!!" 
 
Rick will tell you that he thinks SNAG is INCREDIBLE. He says, "It gives kids a high success rate when starting out which encourages them to come back to play more. Any playground is turned into a golf course. This is a huge hurdle SNAG has jumped over."  He remembers back 30 years ago when soccer was virtually an unknown sport for most in America, now it is mainstream and gaining more and more ground.  Rick asks, "Why can't that be golf?" We could use this to golf's advantage by utilizing unused soccer fields to grow the game of golf with SNAG.  Although he wishes SNAG was around many years ago so we "wouldn't have lost a generation of potential players", he urges Golf Pros to focus on moving forward. 

Rick once asked a kid "Of all the sports you play, which one is your favorite?" The kid replied with a big smile, "SNAG, because I get to hit the ball". This kid rarely got to touch the ball in baseball or basketball.  If you think about it, kids play many sports that rarely allow them to make contact with the ball, especially the kids that aren't the typical "Star Athlete" type.  That is something that makes golf special for kids because "ALL kids want to hit the ball".

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Teachers Help to Build the Golf Community Online

October 1st, 2010 12:04pm - Posted By: Tiffanie Ord

Congratulations to our friends that have been named "Best Young Teachers" by Golf Digest!!  http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/young-golf-instructors5. What qualities make a great golf teacher?  What techniques do you use to instruct beginners?  

One of these teachers, Kate Tempesta, is working to build the golf community through her website and blog at http://www.ktuga.com/Kate_Tempestas_Urban_Golf_Academy/Blog/Blog.html. Check it out! Does anyone else have a blog or website that highlights your golf/SNAG Golf program? Let us know! 

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