Golf Camp Teaches Golf and Life Lessons

ST. LOUIS - Webster University head men's golf coach Andrew Belsky is coordinating a golf camp for mostly inner city youths in the St. Louis area this summer. The camp, sponsored by the Golf Foundation of Missouri, runs for six weeks and is being held at The Highlands at Forest Park. Sixty campers are taking advantage of the program this year.

The camp runs for six weeks and at no costs to the campers, who are also provided lunch each day. In addition to instruction in golf, the campers also take part in a 'Life Skills/Opportunities' discussion. It provides not only basic rules of golf and golf etiquette, but also addresses resume writing, thank you card writing, and information about scholarships available from different organizations for college.

At the end of the camp, 8-10 sets of clubs are proved to youths who have the best attendance, attitude, desire, and ability. Many of the campers are repeat attendees. This past year one camper, who had attended for seven years, made the Missouri Girls State High School Tournament. Most of the campers come from three different local organizations; Gene Slay's Boys Club, Kingdom House, and Girls, Inc.

The Golf Foundation of Missouri was founded in 2003 and is a not-for-profit charitable group dedicated to growing the game of golf by providing learning and playing opportunities to youth who otherwise may have been unable to experience the 'great' game. Coach Belsky has been involved with The Golf Foundation since 2004, when it joined with the Triple A Youth Foundation with whom he had conducted similar camps.

"Being involved with The Golf Foundation of Missouri is a great way of giving back a little bit of what I've been blessed with," Belsky noted. "I encourage my players (at Webster) to become involved as well. They often come from backgrounds where they have never wanted for anything and need to see there others in this world who aren't as fortunate. Seeing a young kid hit their first solid shot and turn around with a big smile on their face is priceless. They're hooked right at that moment."

"Each year we have the campers write thank you letters to the board of directors (of the Foundation) as part of the life skills section. A few years ago one of them came back to us saying 'thank you for everything you do, it has changed my life.' Those types of comments prove the worth of what we are doing. We aren't large enough to help everyone, but if we can change one life at a time, then we've done our job."

Belsky begins his eighth year as coach in 2011-12. The Webster golf team won the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference this past year, setting conference records for round and team total scores in the process. The team advanced to the NCAA III National Championships, finishing 29th. This year's Golf Foundation camp runs through July 27.

Courtesy Webster University sports information