HAVERHILL ? It was a simple gesture. One of the Tom Sager Golf Academy students, Jenna Solimine, hit a shot short of the green in the practice area at Renaissance Golf Club.
It wasn?t the shot that caught the eye of the assistant pro working with Solimine and the rest of the boys and girls from Haverhill and Lawrence.
It was the fact that she went and picked up her divot, about 10 feet in front, and put the piece of grass back.
Solimine passed Lesson No. 1 at the Sager Golf Academy: Respect.
?Tom loved everything about golf,? said Barbara Sager, who directs the Tom Sager Heartbeat Foundation, which helped start the golf academy at Renaissance GC with proceeds from its annual tournament.
?Of course, he loved playing,? said Mrs. Sager of her husband, who passed away in May of 2010 after a heart attack. ?He loved the camaraderie. He loved being around people. He also loved the game and what it represented.?
Hence, the Sager Golf Academy, now in its second year, which offers children from the inner city the opportunity to experience the sport and its fringe benefits at one of the nicest courses in the area.
The children get to practice four hours a day, two days a week, at the club.
?It?s an incredible experience, playing here,? said Solimine, 13, of Haverhill. ?The people here at Renaissance have really been nice to us. The chef walked by us earlier and asked how we were doing and what we wanted for lunch. I love this place.?
Alan Caceres, 11, of Lawrence, didn?t realize how much he would like golf before signing up.
?I didn?t really watch it on TV. I always liked playing football, baseball and basketball,? said Caceres. ?But golf is more relaxing. I?m not that good yet. I can drive the ball far. But my putting is not that good yet.?
Barbara Sager teamed the foundation up with the Merrimack Valley YMCA to create the ?Sager Golf Academy.?
The association with the YMCA goes beyond this initiative. Tom Sager?s mother, Alice Sager, was a YMCA director in Meriden, Conn., while Tom was an accomplished youth and collegiate swimmer (Springfield College).
?We look at this as a great opportunity to expose the game, and all it offers, to young individuals who might not otherwise get that chance,? said Mike McGillicuddy, general manager at Renaissance. ?The game teaches high moral ethics for young people to take with them for years to come. We are honored to be part of this program.?
One of Tom Sager?s best friends, Clive Fazioli, who is a member at Renaissance, has spoken to the golf students about a few of those life lessons.
?We are sharing with these kids a lot of lessons about the integrity of the game of golf and how it will live with them for the rest of their life,? said Fazioli, who resides in Andover with his wife, Suzanne.
?Sure, we are showing them how to hit big drives and fancy wedge shots. But we really are concentrating on teaching them how the honor of the game can become part of their life. I know Tom is very proud looking down at this wonderful program.?
The chief fundraiser for the academy is the Tom Sager Golf Classic, which will be played at Renaissance on Monday, Aug. 13. There are still openings for this event ($500 per player and $2,000 per foursome).
There is also a special tournament-related event the night before.
If you go ... What: Celebrity Sports Night When: Sunday, Aug. 12, 6 p.m. Where: Renaissance Golf Club in Haverhill What: Featuring Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque and two-time Celtics world champion Cedric Maxwell signing autographs and answering questions from those in attendance. Benefits: The Tom Sager Heartbeat Fund, which sponsors (with the Merrimack Valley YMCA) the Sager Golf Academy at Renaissance Golf Club. Cost: $50 per adult; $10 per child (under 12) Information : Contact the MV YMCA at 978-725-6681.
Source: http://www.eagletribune.com/sports/x1495167151/Sager-Golf-Academy-students-coming-of-age
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