Peters Township High School senior golfs for her grandma
Delaney, who is now 17, has more than embraced the sport. She was on a WPIAL girls championship team last spring at Peters Township High School. The Mighty Indians also finished second in the PIAA.
She is part of the juniors program at Valley Brook Country Club in Peters, which competes against other country clubs in Pennsylvania.
Although Delaney has steadily improved during her teen years by primarily focusing her attention on golf — she also plays lacrosse in the spring — she has lacked the significant supporter she would have had in her Grandma Arleen.
“She didn’t really get to see me when I was a competitive player,” Delaney said. “She would always come whenever I played soccer and lacrosse when I was younger; she was always cheering me on at those sports. But she hasn’t really got to see my golf game grow to where I am today.”
As Delaney has elevated her play, one of Mr. Kern’s old golf indoctrination tricks has resurfaced.
When Delaney was younger, her father would incentivize her to try harder on the course by offering a financial reward for each hole she birdied.
The bribery worked. Delaney became an aggressive putter in pursuit of snatching a few extra bucks from her dad.
In May while golfing for Valley Brook at a competition hosted by Oakmont Country Club, Delaney delivered arguably the best performance of heryoung career.
Despite being in the middle of lacrosse season, Delaney had four birdies in one day at one of the most esteemed and challenging golf courses in the nation. On the nearly hourlong drive home west from Oakmont, father and daughter reminisced about their time on the course together during Delaney’s youth.
“I wish you were still paying me for birdies,” she said.
“Delaney, I’d be broke,” he toldher, arguing he was living on a fixed income after retiring from his job of more than 26years at PNC Bank.
That’s when it hit her: Instead of keeping the money for herself, Delaney hatched the plan for the Birdies for ALS program to honor her late grandmother while raising money to help find a cure for the disease.
The program asks sponsors to pledge a dollar amount for each birdie she scores during each tournament she plays over the summer.
Delaney keeps in touch with her sponsors about her recent performances and how many birdies she had through her Twitter page, @birdiesforals, which is quietly growing support for her cause.
“The ALS Foundation [Western Pennsylvania Chapter], they retweeted it,” Delaney said. “Right now, it’s a lot of family and friends, only a few people I don’t know. But I’d be glad to incorporate anyone who wants to help with my foundation.”
Matt Kluck is one of more than 50 donors to the Birdies for ALS program. A golf instructor of over 40 years and the head coach of men’s and women’s golf at Washington and Jefferson College, Mr. Kluck has taught Delaney since she began high school.
He is hardly surprised by Delaney’s latest endeavor.
“She’s terrific, putting together a foundation,” Mr. Kluck said. “She’s a go-getter and really likes to do things right and do things well. She’s very good at her game of golf as well. She takes the same approach at golf as she does in life. She wants to be good at it.”
Despite the noble cause of his daughter’s foundation, Mr. Kern was initially worried she was putting too much pressure on herself. In his own golfing, Mr. Kern finds that he can get “nervous” when trying to make birdie putts.
But Delaney, who enjoys the solo nature of golf that places all responsibility on herself, doesn’t see it as an added challenge to raise more money when birdie putt opportunities present themselves.
“It’s an awesome feeling. It’s just really nice whenever I’m golfing if I have a birdie opportunity,” Delaney said. “I’m a really aggressive putter to begin with, but it just feels amazing when the ball just rolls in the hole for birdie because I know that I’m making a difference and I’m getting to raise awareness for this awful disease.”
Although “Tickle Grandma” is no longer there to pick up the phone when Delaney calls, she left a lasting impression that has gained momentum after her death. Now, Delaney is doing what she has always wanted, which is honor her grandmother while incorporating golf into the equation.
The plan for the Birdies for ALS program is to raise at least $10,000 through the 11 tournaments Delaney is competing in this summer. Her last tournament is scheduled Aug. 2-4 at Sunnybrook Golf Club in Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County.
But no matter how much money she raises, it will be worthwhile for the young woman whose father “could not possibly be prouder” of her.
“She’s 17 and just grown into a wonderful young woman who’s very thoughtful and caring and wants to help people in any way she can, and this is just what she does,” Mr. Kern said. “She’s a lot like my mother in that she’s a very caring soul, and I couldn’t be prouder of the young lady she’s becoming and the fact that she’s taking thison.”