Kevin Duke / The BulletinUniversity of Oregon men’s golf coach Casey Martin hits shots duirng a clinic last week at Pronghorn Resort. Martin volunteered his time for the clinic to benefit local charity Devin’s Destiny.

Casey Martin can work a room.

Or in this case, the practice facility at Bend’s Pronghorn Resort, where the University of Oregon men’s golf coach and former touring professional last Monday presented a clinic to benefit a local charity.

Martin put on quite a display of ball striking, hitting draws, fades, high shots and low shots, one right after the other, along with booming his driver some 300 yards or more at the request and to the delight of the 50 or so golfers in the crowd.

“I think that one nearly hit my house,” said a woman after watching Martin crank the driver deep down the range at Pronghorn.

It didn’t really, but you get the picture. The coach and former pro, now 44 years old, can still blast it.

A tough day

While Martin did spend some time hitting balls, much of his hour-plus presentation was spent answering questions from clinic attendees, who seemed to be more interested in how his Ducks won their recent NCAA men’s golf championship and how they would be looking for next season than getting golf tips from the coach.

In addition to putting on the clinic, Martin played golf that afternoon at the resort with players who contributed big money to the charity Devin’s Destiny, which provides birthday parties for disadvantaged youth in Central Oregon.

“I have a really tough life,” Martin joked with the audience at the clinic, in reference to playing at Pronghorn earlier in the day. “I had to come out today and play this incredible golf course.”

Martin signed on to help out with the charity event after being contacted by Jerrel Grow, the head professional at Pronghorn.

“He called me up after the championship and asked if I would be willing to do it,” Martin recalled. “When I learned about what it’s about, I love what they are doing, so if I can help in some small way, I’m happy to do it.”

The trip over from Eugene served a dual purpose, as Martin was also here on a recruiting trip, checking out the games of the junior golfers at the American Junior Golf Association Sunriver Junior Open, also held last week.

“It worked out perfect; today I’m doing this, and then I can go recruit,” he said.

Busy with his schedule as the coach of Ducks, Martin does not do too many clinics, so he had no specific plan going into his presentation at Pronghorn.

“I’m here to answer questions and talk about golf,” he said. “I’m not sure the direction it will go because I don’t do a ton of these, but I’m here for as long as they need me to do whatever needs to be done.”

Martin was self-deprecating when talking about his round that afternoon.

“I didn’t play particularly well today, but I did play,” he laughed. “We played Fazio (the Tom Fazio-designed course). … It blew and it was windy, and I hit some errant shots.”

The Ducks

The successful run to the NCAA championship on the Ducks’ home course at Eugene Country Club in May was special for Martin.

“That was a dream come true,” he said. “It was a lot of pressure on the kids, because we were hosting and didn’t want to not make it.

“To see them not only make it, but keep playing great and advancing … and the people that came out to support us, it felt like a football game at times.”

It was particularly rewarding for Martin because he is a Eugene native. He led South Eugene High to a state championship in 1988 and was state medalist as a senior at South Eugene in 1989.

“It was one of the best golf experiences I’ve ever had,” he said of the Ducks’ NCAA title. “To know that the guys on my team got to experience that and get to hoist the trophy is something that’s really special.”

But the Ducks lost three players — including Aaron Wise, who turned pro this summer after just two years with the team — right after the NCAAs.

“They were all guys that did an incredible job, and were all-Pac-12 for us,” Martin said. “We’ve got a big task ahead of us, but it’s exciting.”

Martin said he expects that four freshmen coming in might see some playing time in the coming season.

“I expect a couple of the newcomers to play for sure,” he said. “Especially later as the season wears on.

“I think I’ll have a couple of freshmen playing and one transfer, so we’ll be a little different looking with all the new faces, but hopefully they can play.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7868, kduke@bendbulletin.com.