April 13, 2005

Golf group hooks kids

TC Junior Golf Association draws 600 each summer

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

       Friday evening and Saturday morning, a swarm of interested parents descended on Center ICE to sign their children up for the Traverse City Junior Golf Association.
      Peter Schmitz of Traverse City and son Alex, 12, came Friday night to get a head start on the 22nd annual program, which will serve 600 kids ages 5-21 a summer. A talented golfer, Alex was ready to take his game to the next level and play in some tournaments.
      "I did beginning last year, mainly focusing on how you did the hand grips and etiquette," he said of last summer's lessons. "I liked it because I'm rather good at it."
      The registration kick-off for this summer's lessons and tournaments drew families with children of all ages who wanted to learn the rules of the game, the techniques for playing and the etiquette on the links.
      Registration for TCJGA will continue through the end of the school year. The lesson program begins the first week of May and the tournament program starts after school ends. A junior championship tournament is scheduled for the second weekend of August.
      Sean and Randy Hutchinson are just two of many participants who have gone on to golf teams at the high school and college level. Sean, a junior at University of Detroit Mercy, plays on their team while Randy, a senior at Central High School, is heading to Michigan State University to play golf this fall.
      Participating in the TCJGA for the last decade, the program furthered their interest in competitive golf.
      "Both of them were playing in tournaments when Randy was eight and Sean was ten," said Jim Hutchinson. "They just enjoyed the game and kept at it."
      "The competition level was great, it kept pushing the kids and pushing the kids to get better," he added.
      Bob Lober began the Traverse City Junior Golf Association in 1984 to promote the sport among kids and families. A veteran golf coach, Lober directed the boy's golf team at Central High School for 22 years and also founded and coached the girl's team at the school.
      He sees the mission of TCJGA as more than teaching the game. He works to promote golf as a lifetime sport for the young golfers and encourages families to play the sport together.
      "This is a neat thing, that we create an environment for not only the kids, but the families involved," said Lober, who retired from teaching industrial arts and technical education at Central High School in 1999. "We're getting a lot of second generation kids, parents who were in the program in the 80s are bringing their kids."
      Every year, the program draws kids ages 5-21 who come from Manistee to Petoskey, Cadillac to Leelanau County. The breakdown in gender averages around 85 percent boys and 15 percent girls in the lessons and tournaments.
      "As the girls get older, they normally slide away from the game more," Lober observed.
      Ina Davis, women's golf team coach at Traverse City West High School, said that she notices a huge difference in those girls who remain in the program who later join her team.
      "You just know the girls who've been through the program because of their swing, etiquette and knowledge of the rules," said Davis, a veteran golf teacher who is a coaching her first year with the TCJGA. "It's a huge advantage right away for the girls who come out of this program."
      To make their programs affordable, the TCJGA offers discounts for multiple sessions of group lessons or tournaments. A scholarship program is also available that has given away close to $60,000 over the years. In addition, the Clubs for Kids program allows kids who cannot afford golf clubs to play with a set donated and sized for children.
      "A lot of time people think that golf is only for kids who have extra money," Lober said. "We'll do whatever we can to get a kid in the program."
      Registration for this summer's Traverse City Junior Golf Association's lessons and tournaments continues through the end of the school year. For more information on the Traverse City Junior Golf Association or to register for this summer's program, contact Bob Lober at 935-GOLF or go to their website at www.tcjga.com