With golf being one of the hottest sports of the '90s, many parents are wondering how to get their kids involved in the sport without starting off with $30-an-hour private lessons.
Well, don't worry folks. There are a variety of ways to get your children involved in golf at minimal cost.Utah happens to have one of the best junior golf programs in the entire country. Not only is there the Utah Junior Golf Association, with an array of tournaments played all summer for the better players, there are several options for those just starting out in the game.
Both Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City have junior programs at their golf courses as do many individual courses around the state. Also, the Utah Section PGA has expanded its junior program this year and called it the "Junior Golf Club."
Here is a look at each of the programs offered for youth this summer:
Salt Lake County - Junior Golf Clinics, Junior Golf Camps and Junior Leagues are offered.
The clinics are designed to teach beginning students the basic fundamentals of golf or as a refresher course to juniors who have had some instruction. All three county courses offer the clinics, which cost $40 and all begin at 9 a.m.
Meadow Brook has two twice-a-week sessions, one beginning June 6 and the other July 6. Mick Riley has four weekly sessions, beginning June 6, June 7, July 11 and July 12. Mountain View's only session will be Aug. 1-15.
The camps are for more advanced players and cost $125 for four consecutive days of four-hour sessions. Two hours will be instruction and the other two hours playing time. The camps will be at Mick Riley June 27-30 and at Mountain View July 25-28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Junior leagues are designed to provide advanced and intermediate golfers with competition against one another. Golfers will compete in their age groups against golfers from other courses beginning June 20.
For more information on Salt Lake County's junior program, contact Jeff Waters at 468-2560.
Salt Lake City - Four city courses will hold camps this summer, but each program is slightly different. Classes will be limited to 16 golfers and the cost is $30.
Bonneville will hold classes Tuesdays and Thursdays between June 14 and June 30. They have four classes a day, two for beginners and two for intermediate golfers between the ages of 8 and 14.
Nibley Park will have two classes per day for four weeks, June 13-17, 20-24, 27-July 1 and July 11-15. Age groups will be 8 to 16.
Glendale's only camp will be July 18 to 22 from 7 to 9 a.m. for ages 10 to 14.
Rose Park is finalizing its plans, but will likely have a program similar to Bonneville's with six sessions over a three-week period, beginning in mid-June.
In each of the classes, young golfers will be taught about the rules, golf etiquette, swinging, chipping, putting and will receive a T-shirt and a golf packet.
Contact Chris Grow at 972-7815 for more information on the city's junior program or the individual courses.
Junior Golf Club - This is a statewide program that covers six regions.
The Clubs For Kids program is designed to introduce golf to kids, who may not get that opportunity. At these clinics, kids of all ages will receive a golf club, ball, a coupon for a bucket of range balls, a mini-lesson and a demonstration by a PGA professional. The first Clubs For Kids will be May 21 at Golf City in Ogden with one the following Saturday at Rose Park.
PGA Golf Academies are three-day golf schools to help golfers of all levels improve their games.
Each of the six regions will also hold golf tournaments that are geared to the recreational golfer. The Junior Golf Club State Final will be played August 15 at Alpine Country Club.
Call the Utah Section PGA at 532-7458 for more information about the Junior Golf Club Program.
Utah Junior Golf Association - This is open to anyone who pays a $15 annual membership fee, but is geared more to the advanced competitive golfer.
The UJGA has 26 tournaments for boys and girls 17 and under. Many of Utah's collegiate and professional golfers have participated in the UJGA. Call 322-1022 for more information.
DON'T FORGET: We got a lot of responses to last week's golf survey, but we'd like more. Aren't there more women golfers in the state? We'll be accepting the surveys for a couple more weeks. Cut out the one on this page and mail it in today.