Golf: A good walk, improved

by Phil Houseal as published in the Kerrville TX Community Journal & Boerne TX Hill Country Weekly March 31, 2010


Mark Twain’s observation that golf is the best way to ruin a good walk is simply not true, according to Matt Trevino, Head Golf Professional at Riverhill Country Club in Kerrville.

Trevino is seeing full rosters in both adult and childrens beginning golf classes he is conducting with Club Ed. Last week he welcomed a full class of twelve students with three on the sidelines waiting to get on the green.

“A round of golf is actually a leisurely walk,” he said. “If you play tennis, or basketball, each court is pretty much the same everywhere in the world. Not so in golf. Every golf course is different. Most have trees and water. We have hills and tall trees; others are flat with no trees. Each is a new challenge.”

But folks are not just out there to enjoy the scenery. Trevino touts golf as a way to get the blood pumping.

“I think people underestimate how tough the game can be,” he said. While it doesn’t require running or jumping, playing nine holes will have you walking four miles. Without having to go to gym, you are stretching out your swing. And you must have some basic coordination, because the skill challenges are never-ending. “People don’t realize how many parts of the game there are. You have 14 clubs you can hit, there is putting, chipping, irons, and woods, and lots of rules to learn.”

So that’s what Trevino works on. He introduces adult beginners to the long game, the short game, putting, and golf strategy and etiquette. And perhaps like no other casual sport, the “game” of golf transcends the final scorecard.

“Golf is a great business tool. In no other sports can you carry on a four-hour conversation with someone while you compete. Golfers have a connection... no matter what they do for a living.”

Molly Adams was seeking that connection when she signed up five of her family members to take the class. Adams, who is CEO of Bank of the Hills, was “looking for things we can do together.”

“Most of us play a little bit,” Adams said. “We want to sharpen our skills. I’m getting better, but I’m not at that level yet where I can invite a customer out on the course for a round.” (She was surprised and pleased to get reacquainted with a former high school classmate who was in her class.)

Trevino admits that some think golf is stuffy, or time consuming, or expensive. But he is working on making the experience accessible to all ages and backgrounds.

“There are courses and facilities in all different price ranges,” he noted. “A beginning golfer can go to a range and invest eight dollars in a bucket of balls, then go chip and putt for an hour and a half. For this class, you don’t even need to buy any equipment.”

As a PGA professional, one of Trevino’s goals is to grow the game. That’s why he also works with junior golfers, teaching kids camps and spending time at elementary schools.

Adams already has purchased a membership at her local club, and is eager to hit the links as the weather gets nicer. Time is not an issue.

“If you are with your family and outdoors in the hill country, life can’t get any better than that!”

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Matt Trevino will teach the next Adult Golf Clinic beginning Wednesday, April 21. For information or to sign up, click www.clubed.net, or call 830-895-4386.

Club Ed is the Community Education program of the Kerrville Independent School District. Each year, we offer more than 400 classes throughout the Texas Hill Country, along with online courses, business and individual training, and after-school and summer camps. Comment online at clubedcomments.blogspot.com, or follow us on Twitter @clubedtx.

Whacking away

by Phil Houseal as published in the Kerrville TX Community Journal
May 13, 2009


As a kid, Matt Trevino tagged along as his grandfather played golf. No one in his family played all that well - they couldn’t break 100. But those golf outings made an impression on young Trevino that drives him to pass along the passion of the game to today’s youngsters.

“I was enamored of beauty of the course as I tagged along,” the Riverhill Country Club head golf pro recalled. “We have three beautiful courses in Kerrville, and you can't ask for a better golf atmosphere in a community. In order for the game and the courses to survive, we need to get young people playing.”

Getting young people playing is the purpose of Trevino’s summer junior golf clinics at Club Ed. Trevino, who had no lessons as a kid, loves introducing youngsters to the sport.

“None of this was taught to me at school, so I had to learn on my own,” he said. “I love the game. It can teach us a lot of lessons other sports can't. I am trying to make the game more accessible to the community. The earlier we get them started, the better chance to grow the game.”

Trevino starts by teaching the rules and etiquette of golf. Then he “lets them whack away.”

“They are looking to hit a bunch of shots,” he said. “We let them figure out how fun it is. They all want to hit balls.”

Trevino employs a three-pronged approach to teach kids - or adults - to be better golfers. First is to get them to put their hands on the club the right way. Then they learn how to stand. And finally, how to swing.

“I you get them to grip it right and stand right, odds are they are going to swing right,” he explained.

Most kids he sees in junior camps start at the 8 to 10 age range. With golf, younger is better.

As to those lessons that golf teaches? Trevino ticks them off.

“Golf is a tough game to learn,” he said. “It is a very individual game and what you put into it is what you get out of it. You don't have somebody to pass the ball to. It is a game of integrity - almost every penalty is self-imposed. So it teaches honesty, builds integrity, and teaches you how to work hard.”

Trevino’s vision goes beyond the immediate improvement in kids’ golf games.

“Part of my feeling and part of my job as a PGA professional is to grow the game for years to come,” he said. “These kids will be the pros of the future. I can't imagine having grown up and learned a different sport.”

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Matt Trevino will teach Junior Golf sessions this summer on Wednesdays at 4:30 at Riverhill Country Club. Club Ed offers15 enriching summer camps and programs that range from rockets to computers to horses. To sign up, visit www.clubed.net or call 830-895-4386.

Club Ed is the Community Education program of the Kerrville Independent School District. Each year, we offer more than 400 classes with 3000 enrollments. The fall session begins in September. To sign up, ask a question, suggest a class, or apply to teach, call 830-895-4386, or visit www.clubed.net.