Junior golf program's popularity takes flight

Moses Lake Golf Club opens youth lessons to roughly 120 local kids

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake Golf and Country Club has been teaching the sport to kids for many years, but it wasn't until this summer that its junior golf program really took off.

The club opened up its junior program to all area kids between ages 5-18, a change from past years when the summer program only included children of members. The change brought about a huge influx of numbers, as 120 children participated — about six times as many as last year.

Cindy Wilson, the club's assistant professional and director of marketing, sent out 3,500 flyers in mid-May to canvass the entire Moses Lake School District. She said opening up the junior program should help the club in a number of ways.

"In this community, kids get exposure to baseball and soccer and every sport out there, and they want an opportunity to (golf)," Wilson said.

The program began June 18 and finished up Thursday, with sessions running every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 5-7 p.m. The 10-and-under group took the first hour of lessons, with the older kids taking the second hour.

A variety of skills were taught, particularly to the younger audience who were lacking knowledge of the game's fundamentals. The program began by teaching grips, stances and swings, then moved on to putting, driving and approach shots. Kids were also given tips on etiquette, including properly teeing up from the tee box, marking balls on the green, replacing divots and tending the pin.

In Thursday's final session, the kids were led through a three-station skills challenge consisting of irons, drivers and putters. Once the participants finished tallying their scores, they chose various prizes including gift certificates to Taco Time or Quizno's, golf balls, hats, toys and candy.

The program is holding its farewell barbeque and awards ceremony Friday afternoon. Participants receive their certificates at that time, and Wilson expected anywhere from 350-400 people to show up.

The younger age group turned out to be particularly entertaining for Wilson, her 10 volunteers and a number of parents who lent a hand.

"We had such a huge turnout for this (younger) age group, we're going to end up running two sessions next year," Wilson said. "At this age, you've just got to get them out there and let them hit balls and have fun and learn the game."

The private club also sees junior golf as a means of hooking the older demographics.

"It's a good way for us as we're trying to work on golf memberships, you've got to hook the kids, you've got to hook the families," Wilson said. "If you get the kids interested, the parents will go, 'OK, I'll go out.'"

The program's title sponsor, Washington Trust Bank, donated T-shirts and hats to all participants. Other sponsors included McDonald's, Lake Bowl, Taco Time, Evergreen Home Loans, Canfield and Associates, Columbia Colstor, Masco Construction, Mel Engel, Pepsi, Sysco, Calbom and Schwab, Washington Potato Commission, Quizno's Subs, Essentia Water and Business Interiors.

As a special bonus, junior program participants can golf for $5 on any Monday in July, with parents paying the guest rate of $20. The club also offers golf lessons for ages 11 and up, as well as family golf packages.

More than anything, the program was simply an opportunity for golf professionals like Wilson to pass on knowledge of the game they love.

"The thing I love about golf is that you don't have to be the biggest, you don't have to be the fastest, you don't have to be the smartest," she said.

"The kids have been really, really great — nobody's gotten hurt," she added, laughing.