All-abilities golf program proving a big hit at Clifton Springs
THE chance to offer students of all abilities a golf program has helped drive Clifton Springs Golf Club and Daniel Materazzo to create Em Power Games.
The head coach at Clifton Springs and owner of Effortless Golf, Materazzo was approached by the club to create a program, leading to an eightweek initiative that was launched last month.
Em Power Games aims to teach students of all abilities the basics of golf across seven weeks and will be topped off with a four-hole tournament in week eight.
“I was approached by the club as to something we could do as a collective,” Materazzo said.
“I got in touch and I knew a very close friend of mine Desi (Harris) who had worked with students with special needs and had some good connections.
“From there it kind of flourished, it was the ability for me to create a program over eight weeks that allowed us to structure a program where we could see advancement in students.”
While the building blocks were there, the hard work had only just begun for Materazzo.
“Once we’d created the program and done all the hard work … it was a hard slog to then go out and find the right connections to then find the students,” he said.
“Through the fantastic organisation of Leisure Networks and with Luke Maher, over the last kind of four months we’ve been able to pretty much hand-pick about 12 students of which 10 have now started the program.
“We’re into week four now and the program’s absolutely been taken on with open arms, the parents and students are loving it.
“The students are a variety of ages, which is fantastic.
“Some amazing golf swings, their ability is unbelievable.”
Big name brands have thrown their support behind the program, which Materazzo hopes could run more regularly in the future.
“We want this to be the first program for Em Power Games of many,” Materazzo said.
“Looking to hopefully run something like this and direct it to students of all abilities all over the Bellarine and Geelong area every term. If we can run one every term, it’s fantastic.”
Materazzo said he wanted to “have something ready to go” for parents and students.
“It was basically nice and simple for parents to see value in the program where their kids can have somebody that would come out (and) get them, show them the excitement in a program and in golf,” he said.
We’re into week four now and the program’s absolutely been taken on with open arms, the parents and students are loving it.