Njsga, Njpga Donate $10,000 For Golf Team At St. Benedict's Prep

The New Jersey State Golf Association and the New Jersey Section of the PGA have combined resources to restart a dormant golf program at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark.

The boards of both the NJSGA’s Youth Foundation and the NJPGA’s New Jersey Golf Foundation have each donated $5,000 for a $10,000 total contribution to fund this spring the golf program at St. Benedict’s which has lain dormant for the past 12 years.

“This is a wonderful collaborative effort by both boards who care so much about golf in New Jersey and the young men at a school like St. Benedict’s Prep are the beneficiaries,” said NJSGA president Frank O’Brien.

“We feel very gratified about this situation, in getting the program off the ground and help St. Benedict’s We feel it is a privilege,” said O’Brien, himself a St. Benedict’s alumnus.

Most of the seed money for the program will be spent for transportation and a coach’s salary. Donated clubs are being accepted.

“We’re excited because of the collaboration of the NJSGA and NJPGA to help St. Benedict’s and we hope we will be able to work together in the future to benefit golf in our home state,” said Chris Hunt, executive director of the N.J. Golf Foundation which sponsors a program called, “Golf in Schools,” that is offered to more than 100,000 New Jersey youngsters.

The St. Benedict’s team has been offered free practice time at both the Essex Golf Range in Roseland and the Weequahic Golf Course in Newark. The associations are in the process of finding a golf course to host home matches for the six-man team.

It is expected a PGA member will be recommended as coach for the St. Benedict’s team.

“We think that will be a huge benefit to the program,” O’Brien said. “Our contribution is for one year. We would love to see alumni become involved for sustainability of the program,” O’Brien said.

The New Jersey State Golf Association Youth Foundation was pleased to award $33,000 in grants to a number of local youth-related organizations in 2014. These organizations, both golf and non-golf related, were recognized for their outstanding contributions to children throughout New Jersey.

“We want to get our young men excited about the game of golf,” said Fr. Edwin Leahy, headmaster of St. Benedict’s. “The key in the beginning is enthusiasm. We’d like to get the program going and then help spread golf for youth throughout the City of Newark.

“Golf provides an opportunity for kids through athletics to step into another world. In golf, they are exposed to a whole new set of possibilities if they learn to function in that world. A lot of business is conducted on golf courses,” Fr. Leahy stated.

St. Benedict’s junior Eric Conklin of Nutley, wrote a letter to the NJSGA Youth Foundation in an effort to help restart the program.

“Some of the students from Newark, Irvington and East Orange don’t have the opportunity to play golf because of the environment they live in. A chance to see the world of golf could save these kids. We would like to make the St. Benedict’s Prep golf team just like the rest of the school teams at SBP elite and nationally known,” wrote Conklin.

St. Benedict’s has been nationally recognized in soccer, basketball and wrestling.

Besides O’Brien, NJSGA Board of Trustees officers Daniel Meehan (vice president) and William Frese (secretary) are alumni of St. Benedict’s.

O’Brien also mentioned the possibility of golf team members becoming caddies at local courses and becoming eligible for NJSGA Caddie Scholarships. For the current school year of 2014-15, 206 college students are NJSGA Caddie Scholars, each receiving a minimum of $3,500 per school year.