Some of the best young golfers from across Iowa and the midwest will be in Cedar Falls next week for the Iowa PGA’s Junior Golf Academy. The Pheasant Ridge Golf Course will serve as host. UNI golf coach John Bermel is the head PGA professional at the course and says the academy is open to golfers ages 12 to 17.
“We work putting, chipping, sand play, pitching, and then we’ll work on the full swing on the driving range. And also we have PGA pros from across the state that come in and work with the kids and actually play with the kids, and hopefully give them a little course knowledge on how to play the game,” Bermel says.
Bermel says the academy draws players from across the midwest and all over the state of Iowa. Bermel says the academy draws young players who are motivated to get better. He says it is like very other sport, you have to work at it to get good at it. Bermel says pro golfer Zach Johnson attended the academy one year when he was younger to get some experience.
Bermel says the instructors will also work on the mental aspects of the game. “You can work on shots and do different stuff like that, but sooner or later it comes down to the mental side of it and the course management part of it,” Bermel says.
The academy runs from this Sunday though June 20th.