The campers happily embrace the
philosophy taught at A Better Shot. “When
you play golf there is a set of rules,” explained
Yui. “When you play golf you have integrity,
and you always want to leave the green a
better place than you found it. Those are the
things that Lemon Bay teaches you.”
For Yui, golf teaches you to think of others
and to practice consideration. “Those are the
types of things that golf teaches. You always
want to have etiquette; you always want to
rake the bunker. Something like raking the
bunker might seem insignifi cant, but you
have to understand that the next person
behind you might have a more diffi cult time
just because you didn’t do it properly or you
didn’t do it at all. Those are the little things
that you learn not just in golf, but also through
this camp. And I think being able to get that
from the camp and A Better Shot is the best
thing that anybody could learn anywhere.”
In addition to the summer program, Kim
Honey felt more could be done for the
community, and in 1999 the fi rst scholarship
from the Lemon Bay Junior Golf Foundation
was awarded to a graduating senior. Through
the years, the endowment has grown and
over the past 24 years, they have awarded
over $350,000 to 50 high school graduates
residing in the Southwest Florida area.
“These are not members’ children. They’re
all local community children who attend
during the summer,” said Whitney Ransome,
Vice President of Lemon Bay Golf Club
Foundation. “Our Lemon Bay members
volunteer and support the program and
the children, so there’s always an adult with
the children teaching etiquette and offering
support. It’s a huge effort by our members.
Our primary goal is making the children feel
proud and letting them know that someone
cares about them.”
A Day in the Life at Lemon Bay
When you walk into the camp dining room,
there isn’t a separate teacher’s table and
children’s table. The golf pros and mentors
mingle at each table, engaged with the
campers, listening to the stories of their dayto
day lives. It’s a relationship that carries on
long after the camp ends and continues not
just for one summer, but years.
After experiencing an abbreviated camp
last summer, the young golfers are excited
and feel like they’re coming home.
“After being in Gainesville all year, I was
excited to be back at Lemon Bay,” admitted
Yui. “I like seeing the kids each summer. You
see them grow up and it’s just crazy how
growth spurts work because I’ve never had
one,” Yui laughed. “To see students who were
so little and now they’re like two feet taller
than me. I used to drive them around in the
carts and now they’re driving me.”
The program is staffed with high-quality,
caring mentors and coaches and their
support is contagious. “You’ve got this!” says
one camper as another is getting ready to
take his swing. The camaraderie between
the campers is heartwarming and one of the
many reasons children come back year after
year.
“I love being out in nature,” said young
golfer Hunter Pope. And there’s a lot of nature
to love at Lemon Bay Golf Club which is a fully
Certifi ed Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.
With bald eagles, storks, herons and birds of
all kinds, it’s a peaceful oasis.
Left to right in the photo: Ben McCoy, director of golf at
Lemon Bay and program director for A Better Shot; Ryan
Hartnett, head professional at Lemon Bay Golf Club; Whitty
Ransome, vice president of A Better Shot; MaryAnne
Hooker, executive vice president of A Better Shot; Yuki Fujii,
assistant golf professional at Lemon Bay Golf Club; and
Cindy Claude, executive secretary at Lemon Bay Golf Club
and executive director of A Better Shot.