COCOA, Fla. – It’s a hole-in-one for Brevard County students and community members. The Eastern Florida State College P.J. Wilson and Henry Scott Youth Golf Camp goes beyond the green in Cocoa teaching life lessons to campers.
“One thing I’ve learned is to have patience. Accept that there are going to be mistakes and trial and error and if you communicate well enough, you’re able to make a connection,” said camp coach and Rockledge High School graduate Janelis Hernandez.
“I’ve learned patience with the game and how to keep a good attitude. This is a very tricky game,” said scholarship recipient and EFSC Student Rusten Clark.
This year marks the 31st year of the P.J. Wilson and Henry Scott Youth Golf Camp.
Each year the camp hosts about 100 kids between the ages of 10 to 18.
Rusten attended the camp for several years and is now a volunteer coach.
“I see myself in the kids because they’re also wanting to learn the game. I hope they can continue learning the game and understand why this is important,” said Rusten. “Being able to help them by sharing my advice and experience is something I really like. I like giving back to the camp especially what they’ve given me.”
Rusten said along with confidence in the game, the camp also awarded him a full scholarship to Eastern Florida State College in 2024. He’s now a student working on his degree in sports management.
“It felt surreal for me. It was just like ‘wow, this is huge’ because this is a huge financial advantage for me,” said Rusten.
The camp offers scholarship opportunities yearly to high school seniors who attend.
As a new group of campers tee up, organizers are excited to not only introduce the game of golf to some of the kids, but help drive their future.
“My main motivation is watching young people excel not only in a sport that sometimes is uncommon, but the life lessons learned... life choices and the opportunities provided to them at Eastern Florida State College,” said Executive Director of Community Engagement at EFSC Michael Cadore.