Learning the fundamentals of golf
June 5, 2009
ECO Staff – Laure Cioffi, senior journalist
ELLWOOD CITY – In his 25 years as a golf coach at Lincoln High School, Amos Mazzant realized some of the youngsters coming to him need a little more preparation.
That’s when he started offering summer golf camps to give them a better start.
 He has since stopped coaching for the high school team, but Mazzant is still giving youngsters their start with his summer golf camps. The first camp of the summer starts next week and two others will follow throughout the summer.
“We teach all the fundamentals of golf,” Mazzant said. The camp has three instructors, Mazzant, his wife Cookie, who previously coached the Lincoln girl’s golf team, and Sam McCracken from New Castle.
Mazzant admits he first started the golf camps to better his own team, but over the years he estimates he’s helped the golf teams in just about every nearby school district. Youngsters from Riverside, Laurel, New Castle, Shenango, Blackhawk and other districts have participated in the camp, he said.
Mazzant said Riverside golfing standout, Melanie Ice, now playing at Robert Morris University, got her start at one of his summer camps.
“What we try to do is give them a good introduction to playing,” he said.
Mazzant said they average about 20 students each session and the coaches give hands on instruction.
“We don’t just show them and then let them go. We adjust them while they are hitting,” he said.
The camp is slated for 9 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for youngsters ages 8 to 17 at Stop & Sock, U.S. Route 65. The cost is $78. Sign up at Stop & Sock or call (724) 758-4963.
|