CWGA donates golf equipment to Cassville Schools to revive interest in sport

November 12, 2014
Steve Chapman

Hoping to inspire a love for the game of golf in younger generations, the Cassville Women’s Golf Association (CWGA) purchased two sets of golfing equipment for the Cassville School District, one to be used by the Eunice Thomas Elementary School and one for the Cassville Intermediate School.

The equipment was presented on Thursday, October 30, by Suzie Jacobs, Carol Sharp and Becky Ryder, all of the CWGA, and was first used by third graders in a P.E. class taught by Treslyn Pollreisz. The kids had a wonderful time while learning about golf.

Jacobs said the CWGA decided to donate the equipment to the district to help increase interest in the sport because participation in golf is decreasing. “We wanted to get it into the schools because statistics show golf is on the decline,” she said. 

In addition to golf being taught during the regular school year, the association hopes to see a summer youth golf program at the Cassville Golf Course in 2015. According to Jacobs, the program would be six to eight weeks long, with classes taught two days a week.

Jacobs said she got the idea of providing the golf equipment to the schools from watching Rick Grayson, a former PGA golf pro, teaching golf to kids at the River Cut Golf Course in Springfield. She stated she saw how much fun the kids were having learning golf and decided she would like to see the same program in Cassville. Jacobs asked Grayson to present the youth-golf program to the Cassville School District, a program she said is in a number of other school districts including Springfield, Republic and Ozark.

Unlike other sports, golf has no specific height or weight requirements, so it is a game anyone can participate in, and Jacobs hopes the association’s donation will help inspire a life-long love of the sport in the kids. “Golf is something you can do until you’re 90 years old,” she said. “It’s a sport anybody can do.”

In the front row, left to right: Cadence Lyons, Kyah Saffold, Sydney Williams, Samantha Sanders, Kaylynn Wilson and Emma Berndt. Second row: Garrett Ewing, Emilio Perez, Matt Kunda, Nathanial Hang, Deigo Hernandez, Gabriel Hill, Eli Coolidge and Emily Griffin. Back row: Carol Sharp, Becky Ryder, Garrin Madison, Aracely Serrano, America Salas, Susie Perez, Karla Garcia, Suzie Jacobs and Coach Treslyn Pollreisz.

Coach Treslyn Pollreisz helps third grader Garrin Madison adjust her golf swing.