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Michigan teens Kelly Hartigan and Kaitlyn Brasher came with their parents to Ardmore for the Trusted Choice Big “I” National Championship, but they’re not staying with them.
They’re hanging out with two other golfers, Corey Konieczki of Rockford, Ill., and Carson Joye of Columbia, S.C., at Steve and Cyd Jordan’s home in Ardmore. It’s the first time for all four players to stay with a host family for a tournament, and they all like the experience.
“Everyone knows everyone (in Ardmore) and they’re all really nice,” said Grand Blanc’s Brasher, 17. “All the kids who’d done it previously liked it.”
Hartigan, 16, recommends host housing to others. For the boys, whose parents did not come, it’s convenient.
“At a hotel, you never get home-cooked meals or a comfortable bed,” said Konieczki, 17, who’s in third place with two rounds to go.
“In a hotel, there’s only one room,” Joye, 16, said.
But the biggest reason they hang with a new family is to hang with other golfers.
“Among four of us families, we’re keeping 15 of these kids,” Cyd Jordan said.
“All of them support each other.”
In fact, 30 homes have been opened to 71 golfers in this week’s tournament, according to tournament housing coordinator Mita Bates. Her home is one of them, housing Kristina Shalhoup of Easton, Mass., Taylor Dodson of Aiken, S.C., and Cassie Rushing of Marion, Ill.
“The golfers are there because they want to be with other golfers,” said Bates, the Ardmore Chamber of Commerce’s vice president of operations. “For the people who open their homes, it’s an incredible experience.
“Kids want a little bit of nurturing, and they want to hang with other golfers.”
When the teens at the Jordan house aren’t playing golf, they’re either getting ready to play or having dinner with other host families, the latter of which Joye really enjoys about host housing.
Or they’re playing games.
“The two boys were playing chess and the two girls were playing ping pong,” said Cyd Jordan, a housewife whose husband is an insurance agent. “It’s cool because (in host housing) different personalities don’t always mesh.”
It helped that Hartigan and Brasher knew each other before coming to Ardmore, Jordan added.
Jordan was in charge of housing during the 2004 Big “I” in Ardmore. She wanted to host a family this time around to help the volunteers who helped her five years ago.
Michigan teens Kelly Hartigan and Kaitlyn Brasher came with their parents to Ardmore for the Trusted Choice Big “I” National Championship, but they’re not staying with them.
They’re hanging out with two other golfers, Corey Konieczki of Rockford, Ill., and Carson Joye of Columbia, S.C., at Steve and Cyd Jordan’s home in Ardmore. It’s the first time for all four players to stay with a host family for a tournament, and they all like the experience.
“Everyone knows everyone (in Ardmore) and they’re all really nice,” said Grand Blanc’s Brasher, 17. “All the kids who’d done it previously liked it.”
Hartigan, 16, recommends host housing to others. For the boys, whose parents did not come, it’s convenient.
“At a hotel, you never get home-cooked meals or a comfortable bed,” said Konieczki, 17, who’s in third place with two rounds to go.
“In a hotel, there’s only one room,” Joye, 16, said.
But the biggest reason they hang with a new family is to hang with other golfers.
“Among four of us families, we’re keeping 15 of these kids,” Cyd Jordan said.
“All of them support each other.”
In fact, 30 homes have been opened to 71 golfers in this week’s tournament, according to tournament housing coordinator Mita Bates. Her home is one of them, housing Kristina Shalhoup of Easton, Mass., Taylor Dodson of Aiken, S.C., and Cassie Rushing of Marion, Ill.
“The golfers are there because they want to be with other golfers,” said Bates, the Ardmore Chamber of Commerce’s vice president of operations. “For the people who open their homes, it’s an incredible experience.
“Kids want a little bit of nurturing, and they want to hang with other golfers.”
When the teens at the Jordan house aren’t playing golf, they’re either getting ready to play or having dinner with other host families, the latter of which Joye really enjoys about host housing.
Or they’re playing games.
“The two boys were playing chess and the two girls were playing ping pong,” said Cyd Jordan, a housewife whose husband is an insurance agent. “It’s cool because (in host housing) different personalities don’t always mesh.”
It helped that Hartigan and Brasher knew each other before coming to Ardmore, Jordan added.
Jordan was in charge of housing during the 2004 Big “I” in Ardmore. She wanted to host a family this time around to help the volunteers who helped her five years ago.
Her volunteerism, though, isn’t limited to housing. She also helps keep score and spot balls.
“I’m a huge believer in this tournament,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for young kids who are not old enough to rent a room to come into a national tournament.”
It also is an opportunity for insurance agencies — the Independent Insurance Agents of America are the tournament sponsors — to volunteer, Jordan added. Not a bad investment on a nationwide event that’s in its 41st year.
“I love golfers because it’s a gentleman’s sport,” Jordan said. “I appreciate the game of golf because it unifies everybody.”
This week, she and Steve got to unify four teens from across the mainland.
I.C. Murrell
221-6527
