Elmridge Golf Course teaching pro Chris Hedden stood before 15 junior golfers on Monday, holding a driver.

He broke down the grip, stance and swing to kick off another week of junior clinics.

There's nothing Hedden enjoys more than teaching golf, especially kids.

It's his happy place.

"This is my 20th year teaching and it's definitely a passion of mine," Hedden said. "I take a lot of satisfaction from what I've been doing, just helping people out."

And, judging from their focus and concentration, the junior golfers — boys and girls ages 7 to 15 — were also happy to be there, too, on the beautiful morning.

"The turnout is great," Hedden said. "And I'll be doing these clinics all summer long."

Hedden welcomes all ability levels.

Some young golfers in attendance have been coming for years to Hedden's clinics while others are first-timers.

"The experience is from A to Z," Hedden said. "I've got some kids here that I've worked with for seven years and they're only 13 years old. And I've got a handful of kids here, it's the first time that they've touched a golf club."

He's seen an uptick in interest and participation in the last few years, starting during the pandemic.

It's just what the golf industry needs.

"Not only kids, but golfers in general," Hedden said of the increase. "Obviously, three or four years ago things slowed down a lot. But a golf course was a good outlet for a lot of people to go to, and it really allowed the game to flourish a little bit, from a beginner's standpoint and youth standpoint."

Hedden is teaching more than just the game of golf.

There's a whole social aspect to the sport that carries over into life.

"It's a great learning tool for the kids," Hedden said. "What I like to do in the golf classes, I like to incorporate life skills. I not only work with the kids on swinging the golf club, I also work one some basic etiquette and mannerisms that you would use out on the golf course and it carries over to how they would try to act in school.

"One of the first things I did with the kids (Monday) is a little meet and greet, because not everybody knows each other. So, we did a little handshake and my name is. And they are just social skills that you would use not only on the golf course, but you would use them in everyday life experience. It really opens the kids up from a social standpoint and gets them away from some of the shyness they might have. It's really neat."

Hedden, who's helped out by Lou Toscano and Will Kingston, enjoys watching the progress his junior golfers make over the course of a three-week clinic, or even just over a week.

It's fun to watch golfers' faces light up when they hit a good shot.

"To see the program from Monday to Thursday is really cool to watch some of these kids flourish a little bit," Hedden said. "It doesn't matter what kind of golfer you are — new, intermediate or experienced — when you hit a good golf shot, your eyes are like, 'Wow, I did that.'

And if they hit a few bad shots?

"What we explain to the kids is, the shot that you just hit isn't the most important one, it's the next one. Because golf is such a mixed bag based on your ability. Even the most advanced golfers hit poor shots. We explain to them that it's part of the game."

Hedden's clinics will continue through the summer, running weekly (three weeks per month) from 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Thursday, at Elmridge in Stonington.

For more information, call the Elmridge pro shop at (860) 599-2248.

Short putts

• Pete Stefanski, who has dominated the Elmridge Club and Senior Club Championship competition for years, has left the course and joined Stonington Country Club.

An all-around good guy and terrific golfer, Stefanski will be missed. Last year, he won his fifth straight and 11th club championship overall.

"It will give somebody else a shot to win it," Elmridge director of golf Chris Jurgasik said. "His reign is over."

• In other Elmridge news, George Carpenter of Quaker Hill recorded his first hole-in-one while playing in the Stonington Little League tournament on Sunday. Family and friends were there to celebrate the accomplishment.

George aced the uphill par-3, fourth hole on the white course. That also was the hole for the closest to the pin. His foursome included brother Mark and grandsons Jacob Robinson and Evan Bergeron.

• Here's a pretty amazing accomplishment: Chris Fake says his foursome of 70-plus year old golfers scored a combined 7-under par on the par 5, fifth hole at Norwich Golf Course. Don Bodwell started off the tear by knocking in his second shot for an albatross (double eagle). Rich Korenkiewicz one-putted for an eagle while Mike Palmer drained a long birdie putt and Fake one-putted for a birdie.

• Dave Jones of the Mohegan Sun Golf Club is off to a great start in his competitive golf season. On Monday, he won the Siderowf Gross Division title at the Clinton Country Club One-Day Tournament. He rang up four of his five birdies on the back nine to finish at 2-under 70.

A few weeks ago, Jones scored one of his biggest victories of his amateur career, capturing his first Connecticut State Golf Association major title by winning the 16th Senior Match Play Championship on June 3 at Madison Country Club. He almost didn't compete due to a case of vertigo.

"I am very proud to have won it," Jones said in a CSGA release. "I have played in CSGA events for a long time and to actually win one with the strength of the field that we have is very, very special."

• Lynn Valentine, a St. Bernard graduate now living in Florida, returns to the area every spring to compete in the Connecticut Women's Open. Valentine, who plays out of Old Palm Golf Club in Palm Gardens, tied for 11th overall, shooting rounds of 76 and 78 on June 6-7 at Hop Meadow Country Club in Simsbury.

• Joe Mentz of Mohegan Sun GC finished ninth with a two-round total of 151 (77-74) at the Connecticut PGA Championship on May 24 at Black Hall Club. Playing on his home course, Brian Quilter tied for 25th at 159 (79-80). Geoff Gelderman of H. Smith Richardson Golf Course captured the title with a 4-over 146 (73-73).

• Jones and Bill Hermanson of Black Hall Club helped the Connecticut State Golf Association team beat the Connecticut Section PGA last month to win the Julius Boros Challenge Cup for a record fifth straight year. The match was held on May 12 at New Haven Country Club.

• Kyle Sikorski shot a two-round total of 164 (85-79) to capture the Norwich Golf Course junior club championship on May 22. Runner-up Nick Wigfield had a 183 (93-90).

Upcoming events

• Killingly graduate Fletcher Babcock and Philip Krick of Groton are playing in the Travelers Championship pre-qualifier on Thursday at Ellington Ridge Country Club.

• The 120th Connecticut Amateur Championship tees off on Monday at Ridgewood Country Club in Danbury. Andrew Cavasino, John Huhn, Matt Shea and Matt Fuller of Great Neck Country Club in Waterford, Austin Cilley of Lake of Isles Golf Club, Hermanson and Jeff Riley of Black Hall Club, Tony Susi and Jones of Mohegan Sun GC and Nick Hedden of Connecticut National have signed up to compete.

The first two days feature 18 holes of stroke play, with the 32 golfers with the lowest 36 hole scores advancing to match play. A champion will be crowned on Friday, June 24.

• Qualifying for the Elmridge Senior Club Championship begins on June 18.

• Shennecossett Golf Course in Groton will host the Connecticut Senior Open for the 25th straight year on July 11-12. Registration deadline is June 27.

• Registration is open for the 96th Norwich Invitational, which will take place the weekend of July 15-17. It is the marquee local golf event of the season. Cost is $85 for members, $155 for non-members.

• The 57th Connecticut Women's Amateur will be held July 6-7 at Tashua Knolls Golf Course in Trumbull.

Please send golf results, hole-in-one information, etc., to g.keefe@theday.com