Terry’s Kids

Jon Rizzi | Colorado AvidGolfer

From the walls of Terry Stearman’s kiosk at Family Sports Center beam the smiles of dozens of junior golfers. Some hold trophies; some stand with a grandfatherly figure; many do both. At 72, Stearman has at one time or another coached some of the state’s best young players. He’s had as many as 12 Colorado Junior Golf Association all-stars in one year. Among them: Chris and Mary Weinstein, Dani Urman, Morgan Sahm, Katy Dyachakova and Amisha Singh. “Everyone knows the old man on the range,” he says in his Australian accent. For 13 years, his affordable golf program has focused on aspiring golfers whose families “don’t belong to country clubs,” he says. Nor do they fit The First Tee profile. “I fill a void,” he says of the middleclass niche. Stearman, who also serves as the swing coach for Regis Jesuit High School’s powerhouse boys’ and girls’ teams, runs group programs at Family Sports that meet three times a week, building players’ camaraderie, skill levels and confidence. He works with each player individually—“personalities are like swings; if you clone them you’re in trouble”— and employs video analysis and the MEGSA machine. “I tell my kids, ‘If I do my job right, you’ll become your best teacher.’”

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Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.