DWU golf clinic provides knowledge to all ages

The weather outside in mid-February may not be ideal conditions for golf, but people ages young and old were indoors Saturday for Dakota Wesleyan University’s eighth annual golf clinic.

At the event, participants rotated between four different stations at the Christen Family Wellness Center on DWU’s campus. In those stations, the golfers worked on game rules, putting, full swings, driving and chipping.

“We offer this golf clinic for basically everyone,” DWU coach Adam Anderson said. “We have young kids, adults, high school age kids, pretty much anyone has an interest in the game or wants to develop an interest in the game. Pretty much every aspect of the game is covered, other than the mental side of the game. Although, I have toyed around with the idea of bringing in a mental-game guru.”

Upon his arrival at DWU eight years ago, Anderson, started the clinic which cost $25 as a means to garner funds for his team. Anderson said this year the money raised will go to offset some of the expenses for the DWU golf team’s spring break trip to Las Vegas.

In addition to fundraising, Anderson also uses the clinic as a way to see young, talented golfers who he may not have the time to see during the season.

“It does help get certain young players with talent get on my radar,” Anderson said. “I can see some of these kids that maybe weren’t getting a whole lot of recruiting offers to try to get them some more exposure. We’ve had several players on our team now that went through the clinic at least once or twice during their high school careers, and we have people here today who will be on our team next season or future years.”

One of the kids at the camp who wishes to one day play for Dakota Wesleyan is eighth-grader Cole Bathke.

An eighth-grader at Plankinton High School, Bathke began playing golf two years ago and is a member of the Mount Vernon/Plankinton golf team.

“We start golf here in a couple months and I just wanted to come and see if I can learn anything else,” Bathke said. “I have learned a bunch of new techniques like how to hold the club and how to follow through. They also helped us with chipping and driving.”

There were two sessions Saturday, one that ran from 9 to 11 a.m. and another that went from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Anderson estimated 50 people at the clinic, which was a bit down from previous years.

“I think the impending weather scared off some people,” Anderson said.

Tags: mount vernon, sports, updates, golf, dwu, mitchell, plankinton