Frazier golfer stays focused on his game

"Joey appears to be in his own focus zone, and his focus is above that of anyone else on the course," Lash said.

Sophomore teammate Nick Hawranko added, "For Joey, there are no distractions. In golf, not being able to hear may be an advantage."

D'Auria, who lives in Mt. Braddock, part of the Laurel Highlands School District, has been golfing since he was 11 years old. He has been deaf since birth. His parents, Patrick and Joann, are deaf, and deafness is in both families' histories.

When D'Auria was a freshman member of Frazier's golf team, his average score was in the mid-50s, coach Larry Mikesell recalls. Now, midway through his senior season, Mikesell sees D'Auria "as a steady player who generally plays in our No. 3 position and is only one or two strokes behind our No. 1 player."

At 5-feet-7-inches and weighing 130 pounds, D'Auria's strength is that he "hits the ball straight," Mikesell said.

"Joey is not long off the tee, but he keeps the ball in the short grass. He knows his distances with each club. He is precise with his irons regarding both distance and accuracy and is also a good putter."

"Putting is definitely Joey's strength," Lash said.

During a recent match at Mon Valley Country Club, D'Auria drove through the green on a par-three hole and followed with a pitch that scurried past the cup and down a severely sloping green, leaving him a 50-foot uphill, undulating putt.

D'Auria lined up his putt and watched it twist and turn -- and drop into the cup.

In the WPIAL qualifier at the same course, another player was in virtually the same position; he badly missed the putt, even after asking D'Auria for advice.

D'Auria shot an 88 in the WPIAL qualifier, but was three shots shy of advancing to the WPIAL tournament.

In fact, in what may be the ultimate compliment, D'Auria's Frazier teammates and especially players on opposing teams often seek his advice on greens, noted Kim Barkey, who accompanies D'Auria to many matches.

Barkey, employed by Intermediate Unit 1, located in Coal Center and serving Washington, Fayette, and Greene counties, has two deaf children and teaches deaf students using sign language.

But on the course D'Auria is not treated any differently by Mikesell -- Frazier's only golf coach since 1986 -- or the other players.

"I've been around challenged kids in the classroom," said Mikesell, who retired just shy of spending 38 years in the learning support classroom at Frazier, "and it's the same on the golf course. I've watched Joey grow emotionally and socially. He has grown into a nice young man."

Having accompanied D'Auria to numerous matches, Barkey added that "his teammates are a great help in letting Joey know what is happening on the course, in case there might be a stray shot."

Provided by the IU, interpreters such as Barkey and Paul Tajc, who also works with deaf members in his family, have accompanied D'Auria to matches, practice sessions and to the practice driving range all four years he has been with the team.

"They are excellent," Mikesell said. "They are very valuable, and working with the students in the classroom, they know the students better than I do."

Tajc has been working with D'Auria since he was in fifth grade; Barkey has worked with D'Auria since sixth grade.

"Deaf people can do anything except hear," Barkey said.

Mikesell does not communicate with D'Auria through signing, but he does "communicate with hand gestures, indicating what I want him to do regarding stance or club position, or I write things and he writes back," Mikesell said.

"I get help from the interpreter, and you just get used to the interpreter being there," he added. "But I've learned if the interpreter is not there at a particular moment, I won't say anything. Players from other teams know (D'Auria) and he gets along well with everyone. They understand the situation. They are more than gracious with him, especially when they see him golf."

"Joey takes part of the burden off us," Hawranko said, chuckling. "He keeps track of other players' shots and scores."

Hawranko added that he may hit the ball farther than D'Auria off the tee, but doesn't have nearly the same touch on the greens.

Since his freshman season, D'Auria has lowered his score by 12 to 14 strokes, Mikesell said.

"Joey is a hard worker. He's on the course all summer. If he has a weakness, it's just that he is not a big hitter, but that's no big deal. He is such a straight hitter, he makes up for any distance."

D'Auria's average for nine holes this season has been 42, but he recorded a 39 at Frazier's home course, Linden Hall, in Dawson, which happens to be his favorite course.

Analyzing his game, D'Auria said he usually keeps "the ball straight off the tee."

"I try to keep my drives low, so they won't be affected by the wind," he signed, smiling. "I get more roll that way, too. I would like to hit my driver farther, but accuracy is more important.

"I haven't hit a ball out of bounds in years," he added. "Hitting the ball farther would enable me to hit more greens, too. But putting is the best part of my game. I love putting."

D'Auria's father bought Joey his first set of junior clubs when he was 11, and has watched his son's progress.

"He beats me all the time," Patrick D'Auria proudly said, signing through Barkey. "I learned everything about golf from my son."

At Frazier, D'Auria takes regular classes. His favorite subjects are math and history.

"I like using the skills I've learned in math, and I like to build things using math concepts," he said. "And in history I like researching individuals and events."

D'Auria considers being deaf a disability "only from the respect that it is hard to communicate"

"Everyone does not know how to sign," he explained. "I lead a normal life, including driving our family car. I understand coach's body language and it's the same in the classroom, where I have an interpreter."

But D'Auria does not simply limit his time to the golf course. He has been a volunteer at the Special Olympics for golfers at Franko's Driving Range in McClellandtown, where his volunteer efforts were part of his senior class project. So was his volunteer work this summer at Caporella's Restaurant in Perryopolis.

He also serves as manager for the Commodores football team, writes about sports and school activities for the school newspaper, and is a member of the yearbook staff.

In the spring, D'Auria runs in the mile and two-mile events for Frazier's track team.

After graduation, D'Auria has his sights set on attending California University of Pennsylvania to pursue a career in professional golf management. He hopes eventually to supervise activities at a golf course, teach and run the pro shop.

• Most Read
• Most E-mailed
• Latest News