Tom Sager believed golf was a great way to learn about sportsmanship, determination and friendship. The Tom Sager Golf Academy, started in his memory, began its 10th season on July 13, 2020. Seven kids from the Methuen and Lawrence YMCAs will participate in the program, which is aimed at teaching the mechanics of golf, along with the life lessons that go with the game.
This year’s participants include brothers Daniel and Gabriel Batista, Mason Arcoite and Elizabeth Dume-Brea from Methuen and Jonathan Flores, Enoch Torres and Juelz Santana from Lawrence.
This joint venture of the Merrimack Valley YMCA, Renaissance Golf Club, and the Sager Family Trust was started a decade ago in memory of Sager, an avid golfer who passed away in 2009. His wife, Barbara Sager told the kids at a breakfast held to kick off the program that Sager was a guy who liked to have fun. He was known for his furry animal covers for his golf clubs.
He could also be serious and was a hard worker who served as the CEO of area hospitals and as an advocate of integrated health programs with the Merrimack Valley YMCA.
She told participants golf is a game like no other because you are not competing against another player, but against the course. She says she hopes the experience will have a positive, lifelong effect on the kids.
Merrimack Valley YMCA President and CEO 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. In addition to the golf lessons, the children will have the opportunity to eat lunch, swim in the pool, and take tours on a golf cart with Mrs. Sager.
If you would like more information about this program, please contact Ryan McVann at rmcvann@mvymca.org To make a donation to support this program, click below.
