| Tweet |
STUDENTS WHO ARE SERIOUS ABOUT GOLF ARE choosing a Hilton Head Island school to further their education. The Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy, in conjunction with its affiliates - Heritage Academy and the International Junior Golf Tour — is the only organization in the world that combines training, competition and academics for serious junior golfers.
Hank Haney, coach of the world’s No. 1 player, Tiger Woods, directs the golf program at the academy, which was founded in 1995.
Since joining the IJGA in June 2007, Haney has trained and certified all the instructors and has worked one-on-one with all the students. The name of the organization was changed in early 2008 to reflect his increased involvement with the academy.
Students attend the academy from 22 states across the U.S. and 23 countries from around the world.
Over the past 14 years, more than 2000 students have attended the academy. As many as 90 percent of the students have received college golf scholarships from outstanding colleges and universities including UCLA, University of Georgia, Oklahoma State University, Texas Tech, Virginia, University of New Mexico, Georgia Tech, Furman University Boston University, Mississippi State University, and University of South Carolina at Aiken.
Aimee Caligiore of Lake Placid, NY., is a post-graduate student at Hank Haney IJGA.
As is the custom in Europe, more young men and women in America are taking a year off between high school graduation and entering college — the gap year — to follow their passions and defi ne their dreams.
Caligiore’s passion is golf and she’s dreaming of a scholarship to play golf in college.
Post-grad students at Hank Haney IJGA typically take several classes at USCB and spend the rest of the day perfecting their golf swings.
According to Caligiore, this year is giving her the skills to accomplish the total focus, determination and drive to achieve her academic and golfing goals.
“In addition to perfecting my physical golf game, I’m learning about time management and how to budget my time between golf, class, tournaments and personal pursuits.“
“One thing I have improved on here is remembering to take one shot at a time in tournament golf,” she said. “Hank Haney tells us that attitude is everything. He says even if you are playing the worst game you have ever played, you can change it by taking responsibility for your actions. Adjust your swing, change your attitude and you still have a chance to turn things around.”
Richy Werenski, who turned 17 in December, decided what he wanted to do with his life when he was 15 years old, the age most kids are out learning how to drive or going to the movies.
Werenski, of South Hadley Mass., wants to play on the PGA Tour.
He made his decision nearly two years ago after a bad round on the golf course and a stern lesson from his father on how to conduct himself on the course. Golf was his game and he was going to live up to every expectation that he placed on himself.
Werenski recently accepted a scholarship to play golf at Georgia Tech, which is currently the 10th ranked golf team in the nation. He will attend Georgia Tech beginning in the fall of 2010.
He was one of the top high school players in Western Massachusetts while at South Hadley High School, but decided to take an accelerated path toward his future in golf by enrolling at the academy.
In the 07-08 season on the International Junior Golf Tour, he won two events including one at Cyprian Keyes in Boylston, Mass., and had three second-place fnishes. Earlier this year, Werenski scored two top ten fnishes on the AJGA Tour. And he fnished sixth at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship this year in stroke play and made it to the round of 32 in match play.
Ben Dietrich of Conover, N.C., recalls that his frst golf experience at Rock Barn Country Club in his hometown was a grueling six hours playing nine holes with his father. That was three years ago when Dietrich was 10 years old.
Dietrich became “serious” about competitive golf about two years ago when he signed up for his frst tournament. Since then, he calculates that he has played in nearly 60 tournaments. His best competitive round was a 70 last year at Pinehurst No. 2.
Now 13, Dietrich is enrolled as a full-time student-athlete at Hank Haney IJGA.
Being away from home is the hardest part for young Ben, but he talks with his family every day on the phone. It has become, he says, a family ritual.
Stephanie Meadow of Northern Ireland made one of the biggest decisions of her life in 2006 after she captured the Irish Girls Championship. She realized that if she wanted to achieve her dream of playing on the LPGA, she had to train in America.
So, she and her parents moved to the states so Meadow could train at Hank Haney IJGA.
Meadow, whose burning ambition is to become the frst Irish woman to be the No. 1 golfer in the world, is in her third year at the academy. The 17-year old’s resume is quite impressive.
She placed third in the 2009 Verizon Junior Heritage, captured the Irish Girls match-play championship in 2006, won the Nick Faldo Series Girls’ Final at Celtic Manor, was runner-up in the Ulster Girls Championship, placed third in the AJGA Mayacoba Junior Golf Classic and has won seven times on the International Junior Golf Tour.
Academy student Sean Elliott of Westfeld, N.J. is living his dream. The 15-year-old brings to Hank Haney IJGA an impressive golf resume including victories in the Watchung, N.J., High School Conference last April and the 2007 New Jersey PGA Junior Event at Rutgers.Sean Elliott
As a 12-year old, Elliott scored wins at the 2006 U.S. Kids/New Jersey Championship and represented his state in the US Kids World Championship at Pinehurst in 2006. In addition, he captured top honors in both stroke play and match play at the 2006 Union County High School Championship at Roselle Park Country Club.
Elliott continues his stellar play at Hank Haney IJGA. In seven tournaments so far on the International Junior Golf Tour, he has scored three victories including Kiawah Island and The Links at Stono Ferry as well as four top fve fnishes.
“One shot at a time and having a strong mental game have been the keys to my success,” he said.
Morgan Hill of Clarksville, Md., is in 11th grade at Hank Haney IJGA. The 17-year-old student athlete has played golf for 11 years. Other sports include basketball and bowling.
He won his frst tournament when he was 6 years old by 12 strokes. He was introduced to the academy during summer camp in 2008.
For more information, visit ijga.com.
