It is a sunny Spring day at Pierce Community College and the sun is beaming down on the green Brahmas baseball field. Eager students sprawled across the broad field with clubs practicing their golf swings .An older man is standing in the shade looking sternly over students as they go through a 6 hole golf course he put together. A slight breeze blows the papers on his clipboard up. He walks out from the shade to address someone walking through the field.“Watch your head,” he screamed across the field at the passing by students unaware that they are walking through a make shift golf course.Bob Lofrano the Athletic Director for Pierce College has been teaching golf at the College for 20 years.“Golf is a nice sunny day class,” Lofrano says while shading the beaming sun from his eyes so he can get a clear view of his students.A one unit class they offer every semester here at Pierce, “Golf Skills” is a Physical Education course that teaches the mechanics and etiquette of the sport. The school supplies the clubs and balls for the course. He teaches everything from how to hold a golf club to who goes first.“Golf is a very difficult sport,” Lofrano says, “students take it more than once.”John Kaser a sophomore at Pierce College who was taking the course for the second time played baseball in high school and used the course to improve his swing.“It is a good way to get a stretch of classes out the way,” Kaser says.Lofrano, who plays golf often, gets usually 30 students a semester. Most have zero golf experience. Lofrano says the class can be for amateurs to people who just want practice.“Keep your head on a swivel!,” Lofrano yelled as another student cuts across the broad field, ” It’s dangerous out here, balls are flying, clubs are swung.”There is no penalty for bogeys or missed swings. The golf class is graded on effort and attendance and is only a hour. This day students were completing a 6 hole course created by Lofrano to immolate an actual golf course.“Good way to get outside for a class,” Kevin Brennan a junior at Pierce College says.Pierce College offers other sports as Physical Education like basketball, volleyball, soccer and karate. They also have badminton and yoga classes. The soccer and the golf courses are the only ones which are completed outside. Lofrano will be teaching golf again in Fall 2012.The group of students move hastily onto the next hole after Lofrano calls out switch after he sees the students standing around inattentively.“This is my favorite hole,” Brennan says, “You have to hit the ball over the batting cage.”Brennan has been playing golf since he was 4-years-old and says the class has really helped with his overall golf game.“He’s a great teacher, he has helped me with some shots I was not able to do before,” says Brennan as he watches the ball intensely as it soars over the batting cage.Terry Wu, a freshman transfer from China, needed the class to complete a certain amount of units for the semester.“It was available so I took it,” Wu says.Lofrano looks over to check on the progress of the students through the course.“Not him, he hasn’t been here,” says Lofrano.Wu laughs when he notices Lofrano speaking to him.“Finals,” Wu says.
