Tom Sager was passionate about golf. He believed it was a good way to learn how to deal with frustration, to gain discipline, and to build relationships. This summer, eight boys and girls from the Lawrence and Methuen YMCAs will get the chance to learn those skills while participating in the Tom Sager Golf Academy. This joint venture of the Merrimack Valley YMCA, Renaissance Golf Club, and the Sager Family Trust was started in 2011 in memory of Sager, an avid golfer who passed away in 2009. His wife, Barbara Sager says she hopes the experience will have a positive, lifelong effect on the kids.

This year’s participants are 12 year old Dylan Cavanaugh, 11 year old Ezekiel Andino, 13 year old Isaiah Andino, 13 year old Zachary Vermette, 13 year old Zachary Merlina, 11 year old Khimora Estevez, 13 year old Misha Torres, and 11 year old Edwin Durran.

During a breakfast held to kick off the season, Barbara Sager told the children how her husband borrowed a set of clubs from his grandfather when he was a boy and learned to play golf on the public golf course across the street from his house. She told them he would be happy to know they are getting the chance to learn the game he loved and the life lessons that go with it.

Merrimack Valley YMCA Chief Operating Officer Frank Kenneally congratulated the kids for earning a place in this academy and advised them to take advantage of the opportunity to learn golf, learn leadership, and learn as much as they can about themselves.

The children will attend the academy twice a week throughout the month of July – learning the mechanics and the rules of the game from golf pros, using equipment provided to them by the program. Coaches from the Merrimack Valley YMCA will also help out with the program. The children will also have the opportunity to eat lunch, swim in the pool, and take tours on a golf cart with Mrs. Sager.