LI Golfbeat Notebook: Juniors get their chance to grip it and rip it

Jack Nicklaus always has advised young golfers to do what he was taught when he was a kid: Swing hard.

The rationale is that it will be easier to learn control later after you have developed a full swing. It did not work out badly for him. That could be the incentive for contestants in the 11th Annual Junior Long Drive Championship to be held Sunday, Sept. 12, at Indian Head Park, Kings Park (631-269-4100).

Entry fee is $5, and trophies will be awarded to the top three finishers in each of six age brackets. Anyone 16 and younger is eligible. "Kids take a good rip at it and see what they can do," said Dennis Dorsey, the park's owner/manager. "We do have a lot of kids who come here throughout the year. This is something we do for them in return."

Outings

The 10th Annual Champions for Children Golf Classic will be held Thursday, Sept. 23, at Seawane Club, Hewlett Harbor. Proceeds go to the Child Care Council of Nassau. Visit childcarenassau.org . . . The Ninth Annual Bracken Bounce Golf Outing, in memory of Kevin Bracken (Engine 40 Ladder 35, who died on Sept. 11), will be Friday, Sept. 24, at Long Island National, Riverhead. Call Gerard Tilton at 631-886-2160 . . . The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association will hold its Sixth Annual Golf Outing Monday, Sept. 27, at West Sayville Golf Course. Call 631-871-6633.