Lesson for St Louis girls ... in golf
FIFTEEN members of the St Louis Dundalk school Golf Academy had a ball when they paid a recent visit to nearby Dundalk Golf Club.
It was a glorious day weather-wise and on arrival the girls were seated on the balcony overlooking the magnificent links, with the Cooley Mountains in the distance.
They were treated to drinks and lunch was soon served, and then it was time for some serious golf as Dundalk’s Head Professional Leslie Walker put them through their paces on the practice ground.
St Louis Secondary School launched their Golf Academy last year at their Golf Classic fund-raising event and the innovative venture has been endorsed by former Ryder Cup player and vice-captain Des Smyth.
Since last September the girls have been learning the basics of the swing from former international and plus-1 handicapper Deirdre Smith, who teaches in the school. She has been ably assisted by Sheila Boylan, who is the junior convenor in Mannan Castle Golf Club.
The girls had been taught about the grip, aim, posture and stance, so they were all able to ‘hit the ball’ prior to the tuition with Leslie.
He identified areas for improvement for all the girls and they hit some magnificent shots. They got great pleasure hitting the ball 150 yards into the blue sky and Leslie was most impressed with their talent and attitude and could clearly see their potential.
It was then on to bunker play, a new departure for the girls, but they all managed to get the ball out after a few attempts. Then they were introduced to putting and soon the girls got the grasp of this unique skill.
Leslie split the group in two and they had a competition which added to the overall enjoyment, and Julie Guinan managed to sink a 60-foot putt which earned all the girls a prize from the professional.
The girls were delighted to get the opportunity to be taught by such a wonderful teacher in Leslie and he got the best out of them with his warm rapport. Out of the 15, only one had previous knowledge of the game, so it is heartening to see the level of interest among the school community and it augurs well for the future, with many more trips planned to local clubs.