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San TanYouth Participate In Chuckwalla Junior Golf Academy

The Golf Club at Johnson Ranch, San Tan Valley/Queen Creek, has honored a Poston Butte High School student, and we congratulate Kelsee Haws on being invited to join the Chuckwalla Junior Golf Academy.

The Chuckwalla Junior Golf Academy is an elite junior golf program tailored to provide advanced, comprehensive training for the junior golfers in our community. The supportive, team-based environment gives competitive junior golfers a fun and effective path to better their game.

In addition to individual focus, the capstone event of the Academy is participation in the Ping Junior Interclub Tournament Series. This tournament series provides junior golfers with a unique team competitive format.

Each team is assigned to a District of five other junior teams from competing golf clubs. The two teams that win the most points in the regular season tournaments will qualify for the Regional Tournament with an opportunity to compete in the State Tournament.

This is a unique opportunity to train within a team environment while also obtaining the customized attention and focus to improve your golf skills. The Chuckwalla Junior Golf Academy program includes the follow, provided by golf experts:

• Coach-directed practices,

• Personalized game-improvement plan,

• Video-swing analysis,

• Launch-monitoring analysis,

• Mental side of golf training

• Course-management training,

• Short-game evaluation and training,

• Competitive-tournament preparation,

• Rules clinics,

• Custom-designed team hats and shirts,

• Access to the driving range at the Golf Course at Johnson Ranch at no charge, and

• Access to practice rounds at the Golf Course at Johnson Ranch at no charge.

Cost Waived Through Sponsorships

An elite golf-training program like this typically costs in the ballpark of $500-750 per month. Due to the sponsorship from The Golf Club at Johnson Ranch, The San Tan Valley Knicker Brigade, and others in the Queen Creek/San Tan Valley community, young golfers like Haws are receiving a personal invitation to participate at no charge.

Time Commitment

Although there is no monetary charge to participate in the program, there is an expectation that the young golfers will actively participate. The Chuckwalla Junior Golf Academy will start mandatory practices in January 2013. Mandatory practices will run from January through mid-May when the Ping Junior Interclub State Final Tournament is complete.

Following the end of the Interclub season, the participants will continue to receive playing and practice-round privileges at The Golf Club at Johnson Ranch.

The young golfers have had the option to start practicing with the team on "Open Range" evenings since Nov. 27. "Open Range" practices are occurring every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. through the remainder of December.

The "Open Range" practices have the same, structured coach-driven practices that will occur with the mandatory time period. However, the "Open Range" practices are optional.

Further Information

If you are interested in assisting with sponsorships or would like further information, please direct questions/comments to Tom Finnegan at 480.250.2735 or finny1@gmail.com.

Editor’s Note: We are especially excited about this program and proud of Kelsee Haws — she is our granddaughter!