NATCHEZ &045; More than a dozen young golfers have been out at Duncan Park this week working on the fundamentals.

The group is out for the Duncan Park Junior Golf Academy, a four-day camp for local youth interested in improving their golf techniques. It’s the second junior academy and the fourth overall, including one for ladies and one for Special Olympics, that Duncan Park professional Marvin Gray has put on this year, and he has plans for at least a couple more later this year, another for ladies and possibly one for senior men.

&uot;The academy is a weeklong intensive learning opportunity for our young golfers,&uot; Gray said. &uot;It’s a time not just to learn but to reinforce things that even tour professionals work on every day.&uot;

The children out this week, ages 9-16, are learning some of the basics of golf in two-hour sessions each day. The younger children come from 8 to 10 a.m. and the older ones from 10 a.m. to noon.

They’ve also been trying to stay cool in the blistering weather.

&uot;It’s hot,&uot; Paul Delaney said as he enjoyed some air conditioning inside the Duncan Park clubhouse. &uot;It could be cooler.&uot;

Delaney and fellow camper Elliott McCann said they both play golf about once a week usually.

Gray has split the days up into different parts of the game. Tuesday was an irons day and Wednesday will focus on woods. But throughout it all, the fundamentals stay the same.

&uot;We want young people to experience the proper grip, the proper aim and the proper setup which will allow them to build on their game,&uot; Gray said. &uot;Those are the keys to playing good golf.

&uot;We want young people to have a basic understanding of how to get the club square on the ball so they can have years of fun. The whole idea is to get people where they can play golf and enjoy the game for a lifetime.&uot;

The students also received some informational books on the game as part of the academy, Gray said.

&uot;We also include some lessons on basic golf etiquette and a summary of some of the rules,&uot; Gray said.