Jeff Brummel

Jeff Brummel, youth sports coordinator for Heritage YMCA, was pleasantly surprised when he learned of this prestigious honor.

"I was surprised, I know that a lot of other sites only run one or two clinics, but we try to run 10," he said."So I was happy that all of the hard work paid off by receiving this award."

Brummel accepted the award on behalf of Heritage YMCA at the 2007 Traditions of Golf Challenge - Hook A Kid On Golf's annual event.Brummel was invited to attend the event, which took place in Bloomington, Ind., from August 10-12, on a full-expenses paid trip.

Although they've been involved with Hook A Kid On Golf for several years, this was Brummel's first trip to the Traditions.

"I was happy to see all the kids having a great time whether their team was winning or not," he said."That showed me that the coaches placed a lot of attention on just having fun."

This past year Heritage YMCA managed to run six clinics that drew a total of approximately 60 participants.By offering Hook A Kid On Golf clinics, Heritage YMCA hopes to bring the game of golf to children who normally would not have the chance to play.

"The clinics that we run give kids the opportunity to play and learn the game of golf for a much lower price than going to private lessons," Brummel said."The thing I like the most is the kids just starting to learn to play take so much away from a one-week clinic."

Brummel believes the program is useful for creating young golfers in the community, and is confident that his participants will stay with the game in the future.

"When we tell the kids they can keep their clubs, I believe that motivates them to practice more and try to improve on their skills," he said."The more the kids put into golf, the more opportunities they will have if they want to continue to play golf through high school and college."

When deciding which site to award the prestigious honor to, Hook A Kid On Golf had an easy decision with Heritage YMCA.

"Jeff Brummel and Heritage YMCA have grown into an exemplary Hook A Kid On Golf program and we are proud to have them as one of our sites," said Drew Golbin, program director for Hook A Kid On Golf.
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Brummel, an amateur golfer himself for 15 years, feels Hook A Kid On Golf can be as successful as it is in Aurora in any community.

"People love to hear about good things happening to children, so my advice would be just to get the word out and let people and companies know what is going on," he said.