Though the cooler, breezy weather could be signaling an end to the golf season, 40 girls, sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from Lawrence Middle School, hiked to the Lawrence Yacht & Country Club for an informal clinic on Oct. 9.
Middle school physical education teacher Rhonda Barsel, who takes golf lessons at the club and whose husband Richard is a member, said that Leo McMahon, the LY&CC’s general manager, and golf pro Peter Procops had reached out to her about introducing girls, who typically would not have been exposed to the game.
“Through the Council of Unity and Superintendent Gary Schall and [middle school principal] Willis Perry we selected girls who need extra attention and structure to build up their confidence and self-esteem to do better academically,” Barsel said.
The Council of Unity is a leadership-training course based on a curriculum that explores role models in society who have overcome personal challenges on their road to success. There is a middle school course for girls and a high school course for boys.
Under Procops’ guidance and along with his assistant pros, the girls learned to hit a golf ball off a tee and competed in a putting competition. Hitting the ball with the finesse and touch required for skillful putting was at a premium early, but most of the girls appeared to learn they don’t need to swing hard to do well.