STUDENT SPOTLIGHT – ANDERSON TRIPLETS

Middletown, Connecticut, a city of nearly 50,000 between New Haven and Hartford, has just one golf course. Miner Hills is an executive course where many in the central area of the state learn to play golf. The city recognized the need to hold classes to accommodate the population’s desire to learn to play our sport 12 years ago.

These sessions have been met with great enthusiasm and are always filled to capacity. George E Claffey III, USGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional and WGTF Top 50 instructor, has been pro at Miner Hills for the past 20 years and designed and teaches the four-week sessions. All aspects of the game are covered and skills are brought to life as players receive an on-course experience.

This past fall’s class was most unique because a set of triplets had taken advantage of this opportunity. The Andersons are freshmen at three different secondary schools. Nevin is enrolled at Mercy High School for Girls, while Blake goes to Middletown High School and Egan goes to Vinal Technical High School. All have aspirations of playing varsity golf for their respective schools. Although the triplets are alike in many ways, they have different goals for their individual games.

Together, the Andersons had their introduction to the links with The First Tee Connecticut at TPC River Highlands, home of the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship. They agree that this program instilled their enthusiasm for golf that has remained to this day.

They differ on their greatest playing challenges. Nevin believes that putting is very difficult and is crucial in competition. Egan thinks that pitching is hard to master and Blake desires to hit more consistent drives. They all know that the key to overcoming these shortcomings is hard work and practice. As for their aspirations, Nevin would like to make her high school varsity team as a freshman; Egan would like to shoot par, and Blake wants to be a two-sport varsity athlete as he also runs cross country.

Coach Claffey is most impressed with these individuals’ focus and determination. He admires their improvement in such a short period of time. Said Claffey, “The Anderson triplets are wonderful young adults who grasp our concepts easily. Teaching triplets has been a great experience while observing their similarities and recognizing their differences.”