Michigan Golf Journal March 2018

Youth on Course promote and sustain golf and ĂƐ Ă ϱϬϭ ;ĐͿ ;ϯͿ͕ ƌĂŝƐĞĚ ŵŽƌĞ ƚŚĂŶ ΨϭϬϬ͕ϬϬϬ ŝŶ ŝƚƐ ĮƌƐƚ LJĞĂƌ͘ EĂƟŽŶĂůůLJ͕ zŽ ŚĂƐ ϯϭ͕ϬϬϬͲ ƉůƵƐ ĂĐƟǀĞ ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ operates at over 600 golf courses across 22 states and ƌĞŐŝŽŶƐ͘ dŚĞ ŽƌŐĂŶŝnjĂƟŽŶ ĂǁĂƌĚĞĚ Ψϯϭϱ͕ϬϬϬ ŝŶ ĐŽůůĞŐĞ scholarships in 2017, up from $244,000 in 2016. Since 2006 junior have completed more than 650,00 rounds of golf. “Our interest did start out ǁŝƚŚ ƉƌŝĐĞ͕ ƚŚĂƚ ĐĞƌƚĂŝŶůLJ ǁĂƐ the eye-catcher, to have more opportunity to accessibility ƚŽ ƉůĂLJ ŵŽƌĞ ĨƌĞƋƵĞŶƚůLJ͕͟ ƐĂŝĚ /ƐĂĂĐ͛Ɛ ĨĂƚŚĞƌ͕ DĂƚƚ ,ĂůĞLJ͘ “But then about a month into it, it became different for me and him because he started to find a group of buddies Ͷ ƐŽŵĞ ǁŚŽ ŚĂĚ ƉůĂLJĞĚ ŐŽůĨ ĂŶĚ ƐŽŵĞ ǁŚŽ ŚĂĚ ŶŽƚ Ͷ ĂŶĚ ǁĂƐ ĂďůĞ ƚŽ ŵĞĞƚ ƵƉ at the course, get out in the evenings, and be outside ǁĂůŬŝŶŐ ͙ ƐŽ ƚŚĞƌĞ ďĞĐĂŵĞ Ă ďŝŐ ƐŽĐŝĂů ĂƐƉĞĐƚ ĂƐ ǁĞůů͘ KŶĞ ŽĨ /ƐĂĂĐ͛Ɛ ŐŽůĮŶŐ ďƵĚĚŝĞƐ from school is 14-year-old Sam Havey of Mason. ͞/ ƵƐĞĚ ƚŽ ďĞ Ă ůŝƩůĞ interested in golf, but I ǁŽƵůĚŶ͛ƚ ŐŽ ƚŽŽ ŵƵĐŚ ďĞĐĂƵƐĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŝĐĞ͕͟ ,ĂǀĞLJ ƐĂŝĚ͘ ͞/ƚ ŵĂĚĞ ŝƚ ƚŽŽ ŚĂƌĚ ƚŽ Įƚ ŝƚ ŝŶ͘ Ƶƚ ŶŽǁ ǁŝƚŚ zŽƵƚŚ ŽŶ ŽƵƌƐĞ͕ I can get out there a bunch. I used to just sit on the couch ĂŶĚ ǁĂƚĐŚ ds Žƌ ƵƐĞ ŵLJ ƉŚŽŶĞ ĂŶĚ / ǁĂƐŶ͛ƚ ŐĞƫŶŐ ŽƵƚ ƚŚĞƌĞ ĂŶĚ ĚŽŝŶŐ ŵƵĐŚ͘͟ ƩƌĂĐƟŶŐ zŽƵŶŐ 'ŽůĨĞƌƐ͗ Last season, 2,613 Michigan junior golfers signed up for zŽƵƚŚ ŽŶ ŽƵƌƐĞ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ ĐŽƐƚƐ ĂŶ ŝŶŝƟĂů Ψϱ ƐŝŐŶͲƵƉ ĨĞĞ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŐŽůĨĞƌ͘ zĞƚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĐĂƐĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ <ĞŶƐŝŶŐƚŽŶ :ƵŶŝŽƌ 'ŽůĨ dŽƵƌ͕ ŝƚ ƉĂŝĚ ƚŚĞ ĞŶƚƌĂŶĐĞ ĨĞĞ ƚŽ zŽ for its members. “Our mission is 100 percent to bring young golfers to the ŐĂŵĞ͖ ŐŽůĨ ŶĞĞĚƐ ŝƚ͕͟ ƐĂŝĚ tour founder Nathan Oake, a teacher and the boys golf coach Ăƚ ,ĂƌƚůĂŶĚ ,ŝŐŚ ^ĐŚŽŽů͘ ͞zŽƵƚŚ ŽŶ ŽƵƌƐĞ ǁĂƐ Ă ŶŽͲďƌĂŝŶĞƌ ĨŽƌ ƵƐ ƚŽ ŝŶĐůƵĚĞ ǁŝƚŚ ŽƵƌ ŵĞŵďĞƌƐŚŝƉ ĂƐ Ă ǁĂLJ ƚŽ ƌĞŵŽǀĞ ƚŚĞ ĮŶĂŶĐŝĂů ďĂƌƌŝĞƌ ƚŚĂƚ ŝƐ Ă ǀĞƌLJ ƌĞĂů ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ũƵŶŝŽƌ ŐŽůĨ͘͟ Single mom Melissa Hirn of Northville says her 11-year-old ƐŽŶ ǁĂƐ ƌĞĂĚLJ ƚŽ ŐŝǀĞ ƵƉ ƚŚĞ ŐĂŵĞ ƵŶƟů zŽ ŵĂĚĞ ŝƚ ŵŽƌĞ ĂīŽƌĚĂďůĞ ĨŽƌ ŚĞƌ ƚŽ ŐĞƚ Śŝŵ ĂŶĚ ŚŝƐ ƚǁŽ ŽůĚĞƌ ƐŝƐƚĞƌƐ ;ǁŚŽ ƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƚĞ ŝŶ <ĞŶƐŝŶŐƚŽŶ :'dͿ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ŵŽƌĞ ŽŌĞŶ͘ ͞<ŶŽǁŝŶŐ ƚŚĂƚ ŵLJ ĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶ had places they could ĂīŽƌĚĂďůLJ ƉůĂLJ ŬĞƉƚ ƚŚĞŵ ďƵƐLJ ĂŶĚ ŽƵƚƐŝĚĞ ĞŶũŽLJŝŶŐ ƟŵĞ together developing a passion ͞/ ŶĞǀĞƌ ƚŚŽƵŐŚƚ /͛Ě ŐĞƚ Śŝŵ ŽƵƚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ŐŽůĨ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ǁŝƚŚŽƵƚ ŵĞ͕ ĂŶĚ ŶŽǁ ŚĞ͛Ɛ ƉůĂLJŝŶŐ ŵŽƌĞ ƚŚĂŶ / Ăŵ͘͟ ĨĂƚŚĞƌ DĂƩ ,ĂůĞLJ WŚŽƚŽ ƌĞĚŝƚ͗ ,KhZ DĞĚŝĂ