Par for the course, Junior Golf Camp does it again

Rio Communities

Even though there is an occasional swing and a miss, the smiles on the faces of the kids seem to indicate it doesn’t really matter that much.

Not at the Junior Golf Camp at Tierra Del Sol Golf Club, where youngsters from 6- to 17-years old “learn everything from hitting the ball far, to putting it in the hole,” said Craig Tabet, who is camp coordinator along with his brother, Clinton. “They also learn life values — integrity, respect, responsibility.”

The brothers, owners of the golf club, have teamed up to run the camp since 2009. Before that, Tom Nielsen and George Trujeque were overseeing the instruction, making the camp an annual rite of summer for well over two decades.

These days, the camp is held each Tuesday and Thursday over a three-week period that ended July 24. For $20, campers receive lessons, a T-shirt, and the use of golf clubs if needed.

“This year was our best year for donations throughout the community and also the membership,” helping to keep costs down, said Clinton.

The Tabet brothers, PGA certified instructors, are proud of what the campers have achieved over the years. Some have earned college golf scholarships, some have won high school championships or both.

“My mom was looking through the newspaper,” recalled Sara Ulibarri, 14, who was in second grade at the time. “Do you want to try out golf?” Ulibarri was asked.

Her response, “Sure, why not?

Now, seven years later, I’m right here.”

Ulibarri, who attends Infinity High School, has joined other camp graduates, members of TDS and the Women’s Golf Association, to become a volunteer instructor, “trying to help them out with swinging, the basics.”

Ulibarri admits when she first picked up a club, “I didn’t know what the heck I was doing.” However, “when you get familiar with it, it does get pretty fun.”

Many parents and grandparents bring a chair, lining the periphery, watching the action taking place around the driving range and the putting greens.

Former Los Lunas resident Robert Archuletta, who is still a member at Tierra Del Sol, drives his grandkids to the camp from Albuquerque.

“Golf is a lifelong sport — it’s worth the drive here,” Archuletta explained. “This camp has just fueled that enthusiasm.”

Archuleta credits the Tabet brothers.

“These guys have had a very positive influence on the youth of the community.”

Annually, the camp draws about 80 to 100 youngsters. Many of them return year after year.

“We make it fun for them,” Clinton believes.