St. Patrick students volunteer time to teach golf to Our Lady of Fatima students

Members of the St. Patrick Catholic High School golf teams have been busy mentoring and teaching younger students how to play golf. There are 32 Our Lady of Fatima students involved in the program and ages range from kindergarten to sixth grade. Kane Palazzo, Keegan Cuevas and Andrea Huguenin are counselors for the camp, assisting Our Lady of Fatima Physical Education Teacher Finley Hewes.

Mr. Hewes says, “The majority of campers are absolute beginners, so my focus is trying to do is develop a love for the game and a desire to go play on their own or ask their parents to take them golfing. I’m working on fundamentals of the game with an emphasis on the short game (chipping and putting) and working with them on the driving range. For the players with experience, I try to fine tune the different parts of their game.”

One goal is to get as many students to try golf, a sport they can play for the rest of their lives. The students from St. Patrick and Our Lady of Fatima practice at Sunkist Country Club.

On the future of the program, Mr. Hewes says, “Ultimately, I hope to field a formal OLF Golf Team and enter us in the Gulf Coast Junior Golf League in the Spring Season, where we’ll compete in matches around the Coast against teams.”