Avengers Hockey Academy traded hockey sticks for golf clubs at its fifth annual Golf Day at Pollak Park Golf Club on October 23.

The event raises funds to give back to its young members. Chairperson Pieter Johannes van der Walt said they have more than 100 children and players.

“We do this golf day to raise funds so that we can give back to some of the kids that can’t go to tournaments because of financial constraints, so they also have the opportunity to participate,” he said.

He added that they plan to host a prize-giving ceremony in December.

“We will have fun water slides, sweets, some presents, certificates, medals and more,” he said.

The academy has been running for the past 18 years.

“We’ve got palettes from U4, all the way to men’s and women’s U18 and also the men’s and women’s leagues. We are involved in many Brakpan, Nigel, Springs, Heidelberg, Boksburg and Benoni,” Van der Walt said.

He described the day as a success, saying they received the support they hoped for.

Each year that we have done a golf day, we got at least between 22 to 25 four-balls, so it’s awesome.

“We cherish the support in terms of the community and local companies,” he said.

He said player development is the main focus.

“The main focus is to give kids in townships and everywhere in the community the opportunity to get experience and excel in the sport,” he concluded.