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Portage Country Club sponsoring free clinics
By Tom Gaffney
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Sunday, Jul 06, 2008
Sometimes, when something is too good to be true, it actually isn't.
Rod Johnston, the head pro at Portage Country Club in Akron, recently invited 12 area high school coaches to bring six of their players to free clinics to be held at the club Monday and July 21.
The overwhelming response was positive, but with a healthy dose of skepticism.
''I talked to each one of them and all 12 accepted the invitation. They wanted to be part of it,'' Johnston said. ''But some of them asked, 'What's the catch?' I told them that there isn't any. It's all free.''
So on two Mondays in July, 36 girls and 36 boys from local high schools will be receiving instruction from Johnston, his staff and other prominent golfers — all at a cost of $0.00.
''I have always had a sweet spot, a soft spot for kids. I have been thinking of doing something like this for a while,'' said Johnston, who has been the head pro at Portage for 25 years. ''This is an opportunity for them to receive quality instruction.
''It's a way to promote golf, provide Portage with goodwill and to help all kids, not just Portage kids. Golf has been good to us, so this is a way to give something back.''
On Monday morning, girls from Revere, St. Vincent-St. Mary and Our Lady of Elms will receive a three-hour clinic. In the afternoon, girls from Walsh Jesuit, Archbishop Hoban and Firestone will participate.
On July 21, boys from Copley, Firestone and Archbishop Hoban will be there in the morning, and boys from Walsh Jesuit, Tallmadge and Revere will be there in the afternoon.
A lunch will be served between the two sessions, so all six teams can meet and mingle.
One-hour blocks of instruction will be given at three areas — the long range, the short range and the green (putting and chipping).
Johnston, one of 210 PGA pros (out of 26,000) in the country to hold the distinction of Master Professional, will lead the instruction both days on the long range.
Portage pro Brad Hicklin will do the short range both times. Portage pro Larry Manski will do putting and chipping Monday, and noted teacher J.D. Ebersberger of Palm Springs, Calif., will handle that July 21.
The girls clinics also will feature former Walsh Jesuit standouts Kathleen Ekey (now at the University of Alabama) and Brittany Johnston (Rod Johnston's daughter and a former player at Northwestern).
''If each kid can pick up one point to use at each (station), that will make it worthwhile,'' Johnston said.
Walsh Jesuit girls coach Bill Reilly, whose team won a state championship in 2007 in his second year, said the benefits Monday will be appreciable.
''We are thrilled to be a part of it and thankful to Rod for doing something like this for the schools in the community,'' said Reilly, the head pro at Aurora Country Club. ''It's a nice opportunity to get the kids together as a team before the season and for them to receive exceptional instruction.''
Steve Coon, who coached the Copley boys to a Division I state championship in 2003, offered a similar sentiment.
''For the players, it's a chance to work with top-flight professionals in a setting and in circumstances that they might not be able to experience normally — at a country club,'' said Coon, who has coached the Indians for 10 years and is the school's new girls basketball coach.
''If they have a need or a question, this is a chance to have an expert help them. I also like that we will be there with other teams. It's a chance to develop camaraderie between schools.''
Johnston, 58, said that he had a long list of schools he wanted to invite and that he concentrated on those in the immediate Akron area. He said his plan was to take the first six girls and first six boys teams to accept. He didn't have to wait long, because his first 12 calls were answered in the affirmative.
''I would like this to be an annual event,'' Johnston said. ''I think it is worthwhile and beneficial, as the kids start getting ready for their high school seasons. The goal is to spread it around and get other schools involved in the future.''
Furgerson wins
Blake Furgerson of Avon Lake won the 78th Northeast Ohio Amateur on Monday at Fox Meadow Country Club in Medina.
Furgerson, a junior player at John Carroll University, finished with a 72-hole score of 2-under 284 to beat Aurora's Mark Telerico and Alliance's Patrick Elber by 6 shots.
Furgerson had rounds of 66 and 69 Monday at Fox Meadow. He shot a 73 at Oakwood on June 23 in the first round and a 76 at Good Park on June 25 in the second round.
Solon's Jeff Knox won the senior division by 3 shots with a score of 7-over 221.
The tournament was conducted by the Northern Ohio Golf Association.
Marshall advances
Shamira Marshall, a 2008 Nordonia High School graduate and Kent State recruit, has advanced to the U.S. Junior Girls Championship.
Marshall, the 2006 and 2007 Beacon Journal girls golfer of the year, finished second in a qualifier Wednesday at Ohio Prestwick Country Club.
She shot a 2-under 70 to trail only Rachel Rohanna of Wayneburg, Pa., in the 34-player field. Marshall was the only local golfer among the five qualifiers.
The national tournament will be July 21-26 at the Hartford Golf Club in West Hartford, Conn.
Tarter, Jenior win
Mogadore High senior Nathan Tarter and 2008 Rootstown High graduate Katie Jenior won titles in the Portage County Junior Amateur at Raccoon Hill Golf Club.
Tarter shot a 4-over 146 to win the boys division by 9 shots. Jenior shot a 6-over 148 to win the girls division by 3 shots.
Tom Gaffney can be reached at tgaffney@thebeaconjournal.com.
Sometimes, when something is too good to be true, it actually isn't.
Get the full article here.
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