Michigan Golf Journal October 2018

Youth on Course ƉĞƌĐĞŶƚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ůĂƐƚ ϭϴ ŵŽŶƚŚƐ͘ dŚĞƌĞ ĂƌĞ ĐƵƌƌĞŶƚůLJ zŽƵƚŚ ŽŶ ŽƵƌƐĞ ƉĂƌƚŶĞƌƐŚŝƉƐ ŝŶ Ϯϲ ƐƚĂƚĞƐ͘ ĐĐŽƌĚŝŶŐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ EĂƟŽŶĂů 'ŽůĨ &ŽƵŶĚĂƟŽŶ͕ ŐŽůĨ ŝƐ ĂŶ Ψϴϰ͘ϭ ďŝůůŝŽŶ ŝŶĚƵƐƚƌLJ ǁŝƚŚ ŐŽůĨĞƌƐ ĂŐĞƐ ϲͲϭϳ ŵĂŬŝŶŐ ƵƉ ϭϭ ƉĞƌĐĞŶƚ ŽĨ Ăůů ƉůĂLJĞƌƐ͘ /Ŷ ϮϬϭϳ͕ Ϯ͘ϳ ŵŝůůŝŽŶ ũƵŶŝŽƌƐ ƉůĂLJĞĚ ŐŽůĨ͕ ĂŶ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞ ŽĨ ϭϮ͘ϱ ƉĞƌĐĞŶƚ ƐŝŶĐĞ ƚŚĞ ůĂƐƚ ƟŵĞ ƚŚŝƐ ƐƚƵĚLJ ǁĂƐ ĐŽŶĚƵĐƚĞĚ ŝŶ ϮϬϭϭ͘ zŽƵƚŚ ŽŶ ŽƵƌƐĞ ŚĂƐ ďĞĞŶ ƉƌŽŵŽƚĞĚ ďLJ ƚŚĞ ' D &ŽƵŶĚĂƟŽŶ͕ ďƵƚ ƐŽŵĞ ŽĨ its best results come from golf course ŽƉĞƌĂƚŽƌƐ ǁŚŽ ƐƉƌĞĂĚ ƚŚĞ ŶĞǁƐ ďLJ ͞ǁŽƌĚ of mouth.” Take Joe LeFevre, general manager of ƚŚĞ ĨĂŵŝůLJͲŽǁŶĞĚͲĂŶĚͲŽƉĞƌĂƚĞĚ ^ǁĂŶ Valley and Crooked Creek golf courses in Saginaw. ͞DLJ ǁŝĨĞ ĂŶĚ / ĂƌĞ ǀĞƌLJ ƉƌŽĂĐƟǀĞ͕͟ ŚĞ says. “When golf teams came here for a ƌĞŐŝŽŶĂů ƚŽƵƌŶĂŵĞŶƚ͕ / ĂƐŬĞĚ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ŇŽŽƌ ĂŶĚ ƚŽůĚ ƚŚĞŵ ĂďŽƵƚ ŝƚ͘ ǀĞƌLJ ƟŵĞ Ă ŬŝĚ comes in we ask them to join. We have forms at the counter. We tell them to sign ƵƉ ĨŽƌ Ψϱ͕ ƚŚĞŶ ƉĂLJ Ψϱ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞŝƌ ƌŽƵŶĚ͕ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵƉĂƌĞ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĐŽƐƚ ŽĨ Ă ŶŽƌŵĂů ƌŽƵŶĚ͘ /ƚ͛Ɛ ĂŶ ĞĂƐLJ ƐĞůů͘ /ƚ͛Ɛ Ă ŐƌĞĂƚ ĚĞĂů and almost seems too good to be true.” >Ğ&ĞǀƌĞ ƐĂLJƐ zŽƵƚŚ ŽŶ ŽƵƌƐĞ ŝƐ Ă ǁŝŶͲ ǁŝŶ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ůŽŶŐͲƚĞƌŵ ŚĞĂůƚŚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŐĂŵĞ Ͷ ĂŶĚ ŚŝƐ ĐŽƵƌƐĞƐ͘ ͞/ ŚĂǀĞ ĂŶ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞŵ ƉůĂLJŝŶŐ ϭϬͲϭϮ ƌŽƵŶĚƐ Ă ƐĞĂƐŽŶ͕͟ ŚĞ ƐĂLJƐ͘ ͞dŚŝƐ ƉƌŽŐƌĂŵ ŝƐ ŚĞůƉŝŶŐ ŵLJ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ͘ <ŝĚƐ ƉůĂLJ ĨŽƌ ůĞƐƐ͕ ďƵƚ / ƐƟůů ŐĞƚ ĐŽŵƉĞŶƐĂƚĞĚ͘͟ The youth gain more than just a ĨŝŶĂŶĐŝĂů ďƌĞĂŬ͘ 'ŽůĨ ƚĞĂĐŚĞƐ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚ ƐŽĐŝĂů͕ ŵĞŶƚĂů͕ ĂŶĚ ƉŚLJƐŝĐĂů ƐŬŝůůƐ͕ ĂŶĚ Youth on Course has been very well ƌĞĐĞŝǀĞĚ ďLJ ƉĂƌĞŶƚƐ͕ ƉůĂLJĞƌƐ͕ W' ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂůƐ͕ ƚŚĞ DŝĐŚŝŐĂŶ W' ͕ ĂŶĚ The Michigan Golf Course Association. ͞/ ƚŚŝŶŬ ƉůĂLJŝŶŐ ŐŽůĨ ŝƐ ǀĞƌLJ ŝŶƐƚƌƵĐƚŝǀĞ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵŶŐ ƉĞŽƉůĞ͘ WƌŝŵĂƌŝůLJ͕ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ŐĞƚƚŝŶŐ them away from TVs and gadgets and ĐĞůů ƉŚŽŶĞƐ ĂŶĚ ŽƵƚ ŝŶƚŽ Ă ďĞĂƵƚŝĨƵů environment of a golf course,” says <ĂƌĞŶ WĞĞŬ͕ ĚŝƌĞĐƚŽƌ ŽĨ 'ŽůĨ KƉĞƌĂƚŝŽŶƐ for Golf Detroit (which manages Rouge Park, Chandler Park, and Rackham golf courses for the City of Detroit). ͞^ŽŵĞ ƉĂƌĞŶƚƐ ǁŚŽ ĚŽŶ͛ƚ ƉůĂLJ actually will come here, sit down, and read a book while their youngster goes ŽƵƚ ĂŶĚ ƉůĂLJƐ ŶŝŶĞ ŚŽůĞƐ͕͟ WĞĞŬ ĂĚĚƐ͘ ͞/ think they feel comfortable that they’re safe and that they’re having a good ƚŝŵĞ͘ /ƚ͛Ɛ ĂŶ ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚ ƚŚĂƚ / ƚŚŝŶŬ is very safe, very welcoming, and very nurturing.” Visit ǁǁǁ͘ŐĂŵ͘ŽƌŐ ĨŽ ƌ ŵŽƌĞ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƚŝŽŶ Žƌ ƚŽ ĚŽŶĂƚĞ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ' D &ŽƵŶĚĂƚŝŽŶ͘