Golf course superintendents in North Carolina continue to promote the game with the region’s youth. More than 125 future golfers attended the annual Give-A-Kid-A-Club evening staged by the Piedmont Golf Course Superintendents Association early August. Kids received instruction at Deep River Driving Range, a hot dog dinner and a club to take home for more practice.
“The night was an outstanding success,” Piedmont GCSA President Mike Duffy says. “To see the joy on the faces of so many kids really helps you remember just how much fun this game can be. We are really proud to be opening the door to it for so many kids.”
This year, the Piedmont GCSA combined efforts with the Triad Youth Golf Association and the Jamestown Youth League to ensure a big turnout. The Spears YMCA also bussed in kids from their day camps.
“There were so many kids that we had to rotate positions on the driving range to make sure everybody got a turn,” says Duffy, who’s the golf course superintendent at Grandover Resort in Greensboro, N.C. “There was a huge demand for left-handed clubs that cleared out our lefty inventory. Other hot items were woods and drivers. All the kids wanted to hit the big stick.”
Piedmont GCSA members manning a grill served up close to 300 hot dogs and received a rousing cheer from the YMCA golfers before they boarded their bus to head home. The Piedmont GCSA’s Give-A-Kid-Club campaign relies heavily on donations of used clubs to introduce kids to the game. To donate clubs, contact Mike Duffy at mikemduffy@hotmail.com.
