Dozens of children of all ages, one even in a diaper, enjoyed a taste of golf and a free club recently at the second annual Give A Kid A Club Campaign near Greensboro, N.C. The campaign is a project of the Piedmont Golf Course Superintendents Association, one of 12 local chapters in the Carolinas. Kids, parents, and even a few grandparents spent time on the driving range, practice green and receiving instruction from golf professionals recruited by the superintendents.
Two TV stations carried interviews with Piedmont GCSA president, Allen Crockett, CGCS, from Winding Creek Golf Club, in High Point, N.C. A local radio station carried live crosses from the event at Union Cross Driving Range throughout the three-hour exercise.
“We feel it’s important that superintendents do their part to grow the game,” Crockett says. “And we think kids are the way to go. Who knows how many of the kids at our event will go on to play the game regularly. But some will and hopefully all of them will grow up with a positive attitude toward the game because they have been introduced to it in such a relaxed atmosphere.”
Ross Sanderlin, who operates Union Cross Driving Range, says the event is fun for kids and organizers alike. “You can’t help but have fun when you see this many kids having such a good time,” he says.
Members of the Piedmont GCSA collect clubs throughout the year. Every child who attends receives a club that has been cut down to their size. They can use the club on the range and take it home with them.
“Hopefully, having some equipment they can call their own will help keep kids interested,” Crockett says. “Their eyes light up when they realize they suddenly have their own club and they see themselves as golfers.”
Superintendents provide a cookout and drinks for kids attending the event and work with local media and groups such as the YMCA to promote awareness in advance. One lucky kid also went home with a full set of clubs after his name was drawn in a free raffle.