Summer golf camp a great time for kids to learn the game

The summer is here and it's a great time for kids to go to camp and learn a skill they may not get the opportunity to do during the school year.

For the past two summers one of the sports of choice for my youngest daughter Graci has been golf.  It was something she wanted to do because my husband likes playing golf and she could go play with him if she learned a few skills.

Since golf can be a little more costly than other sports, we decided summer was a perfect time for her to learn how to play. I found out Largo Recreation had a golf camp at the Largo Golf Course throughout the summer and kids can go week to week. It was a reasonable price at $60 a week for each kid for two hours a day, so last year she started playing golf. I actually had both my girls in camp last year, but my older daughter wanted to focus more on swimming this summer.

Graci practices her swing supervised by Coach Eric Swanman

Graci loved golf and now it's all she wants to do. She hopes to one day go pro. I think we are a little too early for that but, we can shoot for a college scholarship. I have heard there are quite a few girls college golf scholarships that are out there and go unused each year. It's a great sport and one that may pay off for my daughter's college.   

Graci at last year's tournament

After last summer, my daughter even attended  the after school program once a week for instruction. This summer she decided to go to camp again. Each week they learn something new and play a few holes of golf. Of course the coaches make it fun. The kids do putting exercises and play for prizes like a golf ball or a golf towel. The last day of the week, the kids get to go out and play a few holes of golf and ride in the golf cart. I think riding in the golf cart is the highlight for the kids, especially Graci. Every day, my daughter gets so excited to tell me how she played. What's really exciting is she can't wait to call her dad at work and tell him how she did. She'll tell him which club she used and which green she was on and give him a play by play. I asked her what she likes most about the day. She tells me she likes everything!

Since we have been going to the camps for the past two summers now, I have been able to learn about the coaches by talking to them and from what my daughter tells me. There are usually 4 golf coaches out on the greens with about 10-15 junior golf campers. The coaches are wonderful. Each one has a unique reason for being at the Largo course.

There's coach Eric, who is a teaching pro at the course. He started playing at the Largo course when he was 4 years old and has been playing there for more than 40 years and now teaches. The golf course supervisor is Coach Jason and he's been for more than five years. The other coaches are Bryce, Andrew and Chris, who all attended the summer camps when they were little and now are helping out.  

Graci and her team at last
year's tournament

The kids also receive a camp shirt at the end summer have the opportunity to play in a tournament. Watching my daughter play in the tournament last year was really neat. She looked like a pro to me out there. She was so poised. I couldn't believe an 8 year old could be so focused. Camps like these are a great opportunity to find out if your child likes a sport and if they are good at it. I would have never thought golf would be one of my daughter's favorite sports until seeing how much she loves to play and it all started by signing her up for a summer camp.

Summer sessions are for kids ages 5-14. The camps will continue until August 14 and is from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The cost is $60 for the week. If you are interested in learning more about the golf camps you can visit www.largocamps.com or call Largo Golf Course Pro Shop at 727.518.3024.

When schools out, what do working moms do with their kids?

This will be my first summer where I need to figure out what I am going to do with my two daughters ages 7 and 8, during the summer while I am working. I have been a stay- at- home mom since my girls were born, but recently I started back working part time. I haven’t had to worry about them while they’ve been in school, but in just a few weeks they will be out of school and I will have to find someone to watch them or a camp to put them in.

As I started thinking about my situation for the summer, I thought about the moms that are out there that work full time. I can only imagine how hard it must be to have all the responsibilities of being a mom and working full time. I am having trouble with working just part time and trying to fit everything in I do as a mom. I am very fortunate that I have a boss that allows me to work around my kids schedule and I can work from home part of the time. I also have lots of family in town to help me with my kids if I get in a bind and need them to pick them up from school or watch them for a few hours. I know that isn’t what most working moms have, so I am grateful for all the support.

As a mom, at least for me, I want to be with my kids and be involved in what they are doing. I have had to miss a few things at school this year because of work. My kids understand, but I did have them tell me, “You use to go to this event and I miss you when you aren’t there.” It breaks my heart when they say that, but I know they will get over it. I am there when the big events happen like chorus concerts and awards ceremonies. I hope I can continue to be there for those types of events. My kids are my priority, but as we all know we must have money to pay the bills. I feel for the moms out there that can’t make it to their kids school events or other activities. I know most moms want to be there, but not every boss or every job has the flexibility to be able to do it.  I really don’t know how single parents do it. It must be so hard.

So what do parents do with their children during the summer while we are working? I found the best option for most is summer camps.  The nice thing is there are so many camps out there to choose from. Camps are usually not too expensive and are usually less than hiring a babysitter. For me safety is the most important part of any camp and knowing who is facilitating the camps. I am not going to allow my kids to go with just anyone. Once again, I am very fortunate that my sister has a studio locally called Korisma School of Personal Charm and has camps that my kids can go to. The only problem is her camps aren’t every week throughout the summer. The camps are one week a month, so I have to find something the other three weeks of the month. One of the weeks they will do Vacation Bible School at our church. I usually try and help out with it, but this year I won’t be able to volunteer because of work. Still, the kids can still go to that camp for a week. Our church also offers another weeklong camp for Cheerleading, so my kids may go to that.

As for the other weeks, I will probably have to hire a babysitter or see if my parents can help out. The whole idea of working is so you make money and aren’t spending it all on someone else watching your kids while you work. Like most of you I’m sure I’ll figure it out before the summer begins.

Check out the different options for camps- with themes including: martial arts, sports, science, art, drama, music, dance - to find the best fit for your family. Most churches offer vacation Bible school during the summer too. Some are free and others cost a nominal fee.

The following local camps are my favorites! I have either participated in these organizations' camps as a little girl or my kids enjoyed them.

-Korisma School of Personal Charm teaches poise and etiquette, confidence building and acting. Call 394-7827. 

-Ruth Eckerd Hall offers summer programming in arts, drama, music and dance. Call 712-2706.

-St. Pete College, College for kids emphasizes science, art and math. Call 341-3000.

-Bowling camps are offered at Seminole Lanes (Call 392-2271) and Sunrise Lanes (Call 522-2174).

-Seminole Lake Country Club Tennis offers sports, tennis, golf, swimming, bowling and fitness camps. Call 394-1733

-Faith Presbyterian Church offers several sports camps including basketball, cheerleading, flag football and soccer. Call 391-0596