Championship Golf Continues In The Yaun Family
The Liberty based Yaun family and the game of golf go together like peanut butter and jelly as yet another family member, 15-year-old Jonathan Yaun, won his first American Junior Golf Association Tournament May 8 at the Carolina Trace Golf Course in Sanford, N.C.
Jonathan is the son of championship golfers Radford and Meredith Yaun who make their home in Mineola, Florida. .
Radford (Rad) Yaun while living in Liberty won the New York State Amateur Championship in 1976 at the Grossinger Golf Course and the New York State Junior Amateur Championship in 1972 in Jamestown.
He graduated from Liberty Central in 1974, played golf at Jacksonville University, was team captain in his Sophomore, Junior and Senior years and won six collegiate tournaments, was a first team all Florida Division I men's golf team member and won an individual spot to the 1978 NCAA Division 1 National Championship.
Rad was inducted into the Universities Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996 and still holds the record for the largest winning margin in Sun Belt Conference history....11 strokes.
Rad coached the Jacksonville University Women's golf team in 1992 and 1993.
Due to injuries sustained in automobile accidents Rad no longer coaches golf and works part time as an ordained minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Protestant Persuasion.
Meredith is originally from Philadelphia, Pa. and it was because of the game of golf that she met Rad who was at a driving range getting help with his tee shots which he said was costing him four shots a round with left to right misses.
Rad said Meredith was there at the range and watched a few shots and Rad and and his mother invited her over to his mothers to watch the Saturday Masters and have dinner.
Meredith had been one of the leaders of a Bible study for the European Women's PGA tour and Rad noted, "needless to say we were married in 1995."
An accomplished athlete Meredith was the Philadelphia girls basketball scoring champion in 1975 playing for Lower Marion High School where Kobe Bryant went to high school. She is also a two-time east coast surf champion, played golf at the University of Miami and FIU and won the prestigious Lady Seminole Golf Championship at Florida State University in Tallahassee.
In 1981 Meredith turned professional and became a Professional Golf Association (PGA) United Kingdom (UK) in 1983. She is a teaching professional (UK) since 1989 and is the 1986 Scottish Open champion. From 2003 to 2006 she was a Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) teaching and Club Pro Professional.
Presently she has her credentials with the PGA (UK).
Meredith has given lessons to Professional Bowling Association Hall of Famer Norm Duke and USA Women's softball legend Dot Richardson and played in scrambles with them. Both are said to be very passionate about their golf games.
She presently teaches golf for the Clermont Fl. Parks and Recreation Department and at local courses and hopes to qualify for the US Senior Women's Open in 2018 and 2019.
Jonathan is a sophomore at Family Christian Center School in Clermont, Fl.
Both he and his sister Catherine have had golf clubs since they were toddlers and both came out on the golf course with their parents since they were in their car seats.
Jonathan's 18-year-old sister attends Embry Riddle University as a freshman, earned a golf scholarship and competes on their golf team.
Both of the Yaun children received golf lessons and instruction from their parents in addition to golf camps, clinics, scramble tournaments and back yard putting in the house.
Rad noted, "we have always tried to keep it fun...golf is a game...and in the last year and a half we've added other instructors to their lives that are in agreement with what they've been taught."
Jonathan has played both years on the local high school golf team (Lake Minneola HS) and is their number one player. His low round to date has been a 63 and his competitive low round is a five under par 67 shot several weeks ago. His high school average this year was 35.33 and was selected to the Orlando Sentinel All Area Golf Team this year.
This tournament win for Jonathan was accomplished by shooting a three over par score and sinking a five-foot birdie putt on the last hole giving him the championship by one stroke. His total two day score was 146.
Jonathan was just listed on the World Polo Junior Golf Rankings for junior golfers thru age 19 tied for 480.
The Yaun's will be visiting Sullivan County in July for a family reunion.
Ed's Outlook
Just got a telephone call from one of my golf buddies asking me to play in a scramble golf tournament next weekend.
Now I have played in hundreds of scramble golf tournaments but I began thinking that some golfers are not familiar with the terminology "scramble."
The definition for this type of tournament is that "scramble" is one of the primary forms of tournament play for golf associations, charity events and the like.
A "scramble" is played with 4-person teams, but 2-person scrambles are popular too. At a 2-person scramble, handicaps are usually applied. Handicaps are usually not applied at a 4-person scramble.
In a scramble each player tees off on each hole and the best of the drives is selected and all players play their second shots from that spot.
The best of the second shots is determined, then all play their third shots from that spot and so on until the ball is holed.
In some scramble tournaments the foursome are constructed with an A. B. C and D player with these players designated based on handicaps.
Some scrambles might require the A and B players to tee off from the back tees and the C and D players from the middle tees.
There are many variations on the basic scramble golf tournament but they are basically designed to to help all participants enjoy the game and obtain the lowest score they can.
Ed Townsend is a Public Relations Consultant to the sport of golf. Ed writes and compiles the information for this column. If you have league or tournament information, shoot a hole-in-one or even shoot your age, let Ed know at 845-439-8177, email at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com or fax at 845-205-4474. View this column and all of Ed's pictures at http://bght.blogspot.com We are also on Facebook and Twitter.
The Golf Tip
By Robert Menges
Getting Your Rhythm In Order
Here's a real simple exercise you can do anytime on the course to regain your rhythm.
Simply turn a driver or wood up the other way and swing.
Doing this will make the club very light and it will change the feelings that you've been having with the club.
Once you've had a number of swings like this, I suggest you grip the club normally and go back to swinging it the way you normally would.
But, doing this drill will help you to feel the club head and that's critical in the golf swing.
Have yoour heard the expression "swing the club head?" Well, if you have or your haven't....just do it.
Swing the clubhead and not the club. Let the club head do the swinging and feel the power you get without forcing it. Keep turning the clubhead over so you can get the feeling of the club head more often.
You'll soon regain your rhythm and with it will return your confidence.
Robert Menges is the head golf professional at the Swan Lake Golf & Country Club, Mt. Hope Road, Swan Lake. He is available for private lessons and if you have a question or subject you would like covered, he can be reached by phone at 845-292-0323 or via email at menges@hughes.net
Putting Tip
By Joe Bermel
Here is one of the best putting drills.
A Quadrant Drill
1. Take a golf ball.
2. On practice green, establish on one hole at four four foot distance only.
3. First putt straight uphill.
4.Second putt straight downhill.
5. Third putt right edge slight right to left.
6. Fourth putt left edge slight left to right.
Every golfer has these four putts many times every round. Do this drill again and again.
Make yourself make three consecutive putts at each quadrant.
This will make you a better 2-putt per hole average.
Joe Bermel Jr. is available for private lessons, group, corporate, organization and golf shows-tournaments. His special edition DVD "How To Putt Well" is available by calling 631-589-1384, at his Web site www.ThePuttingDoctor.com or by email at joe@theputtingdoctor.com
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