A chilly but sunny afternoon only fueled the fire inside more than 100 prep golfers on Monday for the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame’s annual High School Golf Clinic presented by the Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Company.
Teams represented were Kickapoo, Glendale, Greenwood, Reeds Spring, Central, Marshfield, Clever, Hillcrest, Ozark and Willard high schools. They took turns at the driving range of Highland Springs Country Club learning valuable tips from a dozen area teaching professionals, including three Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inductees in Rick Grayson, Brian Maloney and Dan Boever.
Not only were the golfers provided refreshments compliments of Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper, but they also received sandwiches from Chick-fil-A. Great Southern Bank and Hiland Dairy Foods provided golfer gifts.
“I thought it was good for the beginners to get tips and give them a head start in golf,” said Marshfield senior Wyatt Davis, a returning state qualifier. “When I first started, it was all about simple tips that I’d heard. So it was refreshing, because you can relate to the basics.”
Davis was one of two Marshfield returning state qualifiers among the contingent of aspiring golfers Monday. The other was Michael Alves, a junior. Their coach, Reggie Smith, has been bringing Marshfield to the event for several years now.
“We’ve had only two weeks of practice so far this year, so it’s a great opportunity for us,” Smith said. “I thank Highland Springs, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and the pros for giving our guys instruction.”
Marshfield had nearly a dozen golfers. Clever brought 16.
“This is our second year coming here,” said Clever coach Jeff Boyles. “All of our guys enjoy it. They get a lot of good tips and build on them throughout the season. It’s been really helpful.”
A number of girls golfers also turned out even though their season was last fall. Among them was Ozark’s Josey Roberts, a sophomore.
“It’s really helpful,” she said. “I kind of get stuck in my swing, so (a pro) helped me work on it.”
It was the 25th annual event for the Hall of Fame.
“This is an event that every Coca-Cola high school in the area needs to take advantage of,” said Taylor Frederich, the Director of Operations for the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. “It’s not every day they get instruction from some of the best teachers in the game. And I heard a lot of coaches say they appreciated that Coca-Cola sponsored the event.”