For David and Daniel Burson, it was a rare chance to swing a golf club and pick up some neat pointers. For Gene Zerwig and 7-year-old Henry Wynn, there was something for both grandpa and grandson.
In other words, what a great Wednesday it was for the Price Cutter Charities Junior Golf Outing at the Betty Allison Family Center on the Oscar Blom Golf Course in north Springfield.
The event drew nearly 70 children, including half from four units of the Boys and Girls Club of Springfield. Each participant received a T-shirt, two Springfield Cardinals tickets, a family pass to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and, best of all, learned tips from area PGA teaching professionals.
David Burson, a 14-year-old who will be a freshman at Hillcrest High School, had never played golf before. Now he’s thinking of adding to his basketball resume.
“I liked the things I never knew before, like the rough and fairway,” Burson said.
His 12-year-old brother, Daniel, loved it, too.
“I learned how to hold a golf club and when to use different types of clubs,” Daniel said. “I may golf more now.”
Zerwig brought his grandson, Henry.
Said Henry, “I liked hitting. I liked hitting long to see how far the ball can go.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed it. I picked up a few tips,” Zerwig said. “I’ve been playing golf since I was 12 years old. (His grandson) got golf clubs last Christmas and I wanted him to be around older people who play golf. To get instruction from a pro, he thought that was pretty cool.”