swing into summer

SUMMER SWING INTO

This time of year is an active one for golf and tennis youth programs. BY RANDY KAMBIC

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Concerns about the coronavirus canceled many events and closed numerous facilities in March and

April. When SW FL Parent & Child went to press, organizers were unsure what May, June and beyond would hold. Contact organizers for updates to their plans.

t’s swing time again for kids. The combination of school classes ending and snowbirds going back up north creates extensive opportunities on our many golf courses and tennis courts this time of year. The swing sports might also provide an excellent physical outlet for kids as facilities potentially reopen in the wake of coronavirus “safer at home” orders. Indeed, many golf courses remained open by enacting new social distancing measures.

Golf

The Southwest Florida Junior Golf Association conducts 18-hole (for ages 13-18) and nine-hole (for ages 8-12) tournaments for boys and girls in the summer. The events are geared to enable kids to improve skills and master the stimulus of competition while exhibiting integrity and sportsmanship and following the sport’s rules.

The LPGA Girls Golf program consists of 20 nine-hole play days on Saturdays through mid-December in Naples, Bonita Springs and Estero for middle and high schoolers. Also, eight nine-hole events for elementary (starting at age 7) and middle school girls tee off on Wednesdays early June through mid-August at the Worthington Country Club in Bonita Springs. Leaders provide tips and demonstrate various skills immediately before each competition.

Jane Huling, previously a long-time teaching pro in the Detroit area and co-director of the program along with Worthington head golf pro Kristine Connell, relishes the pre-play clinics.

“We make them short and fun, and then the girls try it on the course. We sometimes also incorporate contests and prizes,” Jane says.

“We also play with the kids on the course, so they get both group and individual attention,” says Kristine, the 2018 Southwest Florida PGA Player Development Award winner.

Andy Scott, the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America Teacher of the Year of 2019, the fourth time he has earned this prestigious award, conducts

Golf Clubs

ALICO FAMILY GOLF

• Where: 16300 Lee Road, south Fort Myers • Phone: 239-334-4653 • Online: alicofamilygolf.com

ANDY SCOTT SCHOOL OF GOLF

• Phone: 239-699-3985 • Online: andyscottschoolofgolf.com

CORAL OAKS JUNIOR GOLF ASSOCIATION

• Where: Coral Oaks Golf Course, 1800 N.W. 28th Ave., Cape Coral • Phone: 239- 573-3100 • Online: coraloaksgolf.com and capecoraljrgolf.org/program

FIRST TEE OF NAPLES/COLLIER

• Phone: 239-825-4851 • Online: thefirstteenaplescollier.org

LPGA GIRLS GOLF

• Phone: 239-877-3854 (Jane Huling), 239-495-1750 (Kristine Connell) • Email: janiegolfpro@embarqmail.com, kconnell@ worthingtoncc.net • Online: girlsgolf.org

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA JUNIOR GOLF ASSOCIATION

• Phone: 239-344-8590

STONEYBROOK GOLF CLUB

• Where: 21251 Stoneybrook Golf Blvd., Estero • Phone: 239-948-3933 • Online: stoneybrookgolfestero.com and sbjrgolf.org

Tennis

The Barbara Manzo Tennis Center at Three Oaks Park in south Fort Myers is usually abuzz with young tennis players. Director Sibo Kangwa plans to lead nine, week-long sessions on the many hard courts of the south Fort Myers facility starting June 8 for all abilities ages 5 and older from 9 a.m. to noon daily.

“We also put together tournaments in various skill levels that help youngsters fulfill USTA requirements to move up in skill levels,” she says.

She also teaches, in conjunction with the Lee County Community Tennis Association, recreational tennis at the Wa-Ke Hatchee Park and Recreation Center and Rutenberg Park, both in south Fort Myers.

“Kids can play at all three places, and some scholarships are also available,” Sibo adds.

The LCCTA also furnishes portable tennis nets so that indoor play can be conducted during regular parks and recreation youth summer camps at the North Fort Myers Park and Recreation Center, Veterans Park

» Continued on page 36

Tennis Clubs

ARTHUR L. ALLEN TENNIS CENTER

• Where: 730 Eighth St. S., Naples • Phone: 239-213-3060, 239-213-3058 • Online: naplesgov.com

BARBARA MANZO TENNIS CENTER

• Where: Three Oaks Park, 18215 Three Oaks Parkway, south Fort Myers • Phone: 239-822- 0635 • Email: tennisdirectorthreeoaks@gmail. com • Online: leecountytennis.com

LEE COUNTY COMMUNITY TENNIS ASSOCIATION

• Phone: 239-565-5300 • Online: leecountytennis.com

PELICAN BAY COMMUNITY PARK

• Where: 754 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Naples • Phone: 239-598-3025 • Online: colliercountyfl.gov

YACHT CLUB COMMUNITY PARK

• Where: 5819 Driftwood Parkway, Cape Coral • Phone: 239-574-0808 • Email: tennisc@capecoral.net • Online: capeparks.com

» Golf Continued

private lessons, camps and clinics at the public Stoneybrook Golf Club in Estero and Kelly Greens Golf and Country Club in Fort Myers. He’s also a U.S. Kids Golf-certified coach among many other national and regional credentials and accreditations.

Stoneybrook also offers many other ways for youngsters to tee up yearround and especially during summers, including a Tuesday girls’ program for ages 4-17, a Wednesday practice session for beginners, Thursday practices for a youth club team for more competitively minded 6- to 14-year-olds, and several programs on Saturdays.

They were also scheduled to host a South Florida PGA Drive, Chip & Putt qualifying event for youngsters June 21, with the Vineyards Country Club in Naples hosting one July 23. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the qualifying events have been canceled and are expected to resume next summer.

The Coral Oaks Junior Golf Association hosts a summer program with instruction and on-course play for ages 7-17 in various skill groups on six consecutive Mondays beginning June 8 at the Coral Oaks Golf Course in Cape Coral. It culminates with a Tournament of Champions on July 13. Cost is $30. Register online at capecoraljrgolf.org/registration.

Alico Family Golf in south Fort Myers conducts eight, separate summer youth camps Monday through Friday beginning June 8 on both a full- and half-day basis. With hands-on instruction by certified PGA professionals, participants are organized based on their ability levels to create the most favorable learning environments.

Top: Students got tips on chipping with iron clubs at an LPGA Girls Golf event clinic last summer. • Bottom: Sibo Kangwa’s summer camps at the Barbara Manzo Tennis Center in Three Oaks Park in south Fort Myers include lots of hitting drills.

» Tennis Continued

and Recreation Center in Lehigh Acres, and the Estero Park and Recreation Center.

“It introduces some kids to tennis,” says USPTA Recreational Coach Bob Nelson, a former executive director of the LCCTA and a member for nearly two decades. He supervises the application of “mini-nets” in North Fort Myers. Some of the kids go on to play on the outdoor courts with him at Kurt Donaldson Community Park, formerly Hancock Community Park, in Cape Coral, where he often uses special, multi-colored tennis balls to add to the excitement for younger players.

Swimming is combined with tennis for kids during summers at the Yacht Club Community Park in Cape Coral. Starting in early June through July, kids ages 4-6 spend an hour each on the courts and in the pool two days a week while ages 7-13 enjoy each activity for two hours at a time three days a week. All activities at Cape parks were canceled through April; check in at capeparks.com for updates on summer programs.

Further, many of our area’s tennis clubs within residential communities conduct week-long junior camps during the summer for both members and nonmember families, including The Landings Yacht Golf & Tennis Club and Gateway Golf & Country Club, both in Fort Myers; The Forest Country Club in south Fort Myers; and The Club at Rapallo at Coconut Point, the West Bay Beach & Golf Club and Estero Country Club at The Vines, all in Estero.