Worldcom Classic - The Heritage of GolfJunior golfers greet game with firm grip 04/11/01[an error occurred while processing this directive] <BR><FONT SIZE=5>  Junior golfers greet game with firm grip  </FONT><p> <em>  HILTON HEAD ISLAND: Kids Teaching Kids gets the ball rolling for newcomers to get into swing of things.  </em><BR> <P><font size=2><I>Web posted  <FONT SIZE=2>Wednesday, April 11, 2001</FONT><BR>  <P></I></font><FONT SIZE=2> </FONT> <P><FONT SIZE=2><B>  By <A HREF=mailto:hooroo20@aol.com>Stephen Weeks</a>  </B><BR>  <I><A HREF=mailto:cmn@lowcountrynow.com>Carolina Morning News</a></I>  <P></FONT> <FONT SIZE =3>  The divots might have been dug a little deeper than usual on the practice range at the Plantation Club in Sea Pines Resort on Tuesday.<P> But the smiles on the players' faces were definitely a lot broader.<P> The International Junior Golf Academy, working with the Boys & Girls clubs of Hilton Head and Bluffton, sponsored an entire day of golf instruction for 19 young people from Beaufort County.<P> The catch - they were taught by students from the Golf Academy.<P> The day included one-on-one mentoring for each Boys & Girls Club member from a Golf Academy student, instruction from the Golf Academy's staff professionals and a demonstration by PGA Tour players Peter Jacobsen and Jay Haas.<P> Ray Travaglione, founder and president of the Golf Academy and the International Junior Golf Tour, began considering different methods to bring new young players into golf several years ago after the his first two projects with junior golf proved successful.<P> "You know how difficult it is to take a golf lesson," Travaglione said. "It's technical, and it's difficult. But when you're hearing it from one of your peers, the level of communication is different."<P> The Kids Teaching Kids program is intended to function on more than one level. Travaglione hopes to remove some of the intimidation of learning a new skill while also relieving some of the financial burdens that go along with golf.<P> All of the young people who attended the Kids Teaching Kids clinic received a golf bag, a starter set of clubs, two sleeves of golf balls, a repair tool, a United States Golf Association rules book and a bag tag inscribed with their names.<P> Travaglione said the Golf Academy also plans to underwrite the cost of paying a golf course to open its practice facility to the Boys & Girls Club members at least once per week for the next year.<P> Hilton Head Island's Christina Douglass had never swung a golf club before volunteering to be the first pupil for Jacobsen and Haas. She was talked into attending the clinic by a friend but knew a little bit about the game from her older brother, Andrew.<P> "It was embarrassing and fun," said the 11-year-old Douglass, who hit about 10 shots in front of the assembled crowd. "I didn't even think we would get to play golf. I thought we would just eat lunch and go back home after getting a lecture."<P> Instead of a lecture, Jacobsen delivered a slew of quips and jokes sprinkled with some wisdom about golf. While he was showing the new players the proper grip, he reminded them that not everybody will reach the PGA Tour, but everybody can enjoy the game.<P> "It is easier for kids to impart that kind of knowledge to other kids," said Jacobsen, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour. "These kids (from the Golf Academy) have played the game and they know how great it is, but they may also know their limitations a bit better. They know the most important thing is to be the best you can be."<P> Boys & Girls Club of Hilton Head unit director Irv Campbell said opening golf courses to young people would be the only way to guarantee the success of the Kids Teaching Kids program.<P> "We need to reach the kids who can't afford to go on a golf course," said Campbell, who has played golf for more than 30 years. "We are looking for ways to change the attitudes of golf resorts so they will let kids play for nothing or next to nothing. One thing we need to undertake is the accessibility of the golf courses - the prices need to go down for the kids to have access.<P> "If we can get the kids access to the courses, I think they will take advantage of it," Campbell said.<P> The eventual goal of the program is to spread Kids Teaching Kids on a national level, using the influence of the Golf Academy and the Boys & Girls Club of America. But to reach that stage, the program would need to demonstrate success in the Lowcountry first.<P> And according to Campbell, the cycle of success will begin with spurring the interest of youth in the Lowcountry.<P> "This is truly our baby and we will support it the best we can," said Travaglione, who said ideally the program could be rolled out on a national level in September 2002.<P> "It's already working at the local level. What we need is support so the kids can practice, because the worst thing you can do is to get a kid interested and then abandon them."<P> Reporter <A HREF=mailto:hooroo20@aol.com>Stephen Weeks</a> can be reached at 837-5255, ext. 122.<P>  </FONT>[an error occurred while processing this directive]