Short Courses/More Junior Play Require Attitude Change
February 9, 2012 by Kyle German
I’ve seen discussion recently on short courses, such as the one recently put in at Hamilton Golf and Country Club, the site of this year’s RBC Canadian Open, and resort courses in Scottsdale, Az.
I remember a few years ago, Eaglequest out here was looking at short golf, the idea being that golf was four-and-a-half hours plus meal for a total of about seven hours and they wanted to make it three hours. Maybe, that idea is coming back.
There’s nothing that says you can’t enjoy golf or sharpen your game by playing nine holes or 4,000 yards. As far as bringing people to the game, fathers or mothers bringing their children to the golf course, it makes sense.
I would love to see every major metropolis in the country donate 30 acres for a short course, but I realize it’s a huge pipe dream. I’ve seen some courses put tee markers on a 500-yard par five that make it only 300 yards to the green. They’re doing what they can with what they have.
It shouldn’t be a big deal, but as much as you like to say that it isn’t, one of the things that you see when you work at a golf course are people who are established in the game making negative comments about juniors being on the golf course.
If you try starting a junior golf program, you get more flak than respect from your members or the golfing public. Very often, the first thing public golfers say if juniors go off in front is “It’s going to be five hours.”
It may not be true, but perception is reality to them, so it makes it tough from an operations point of view to try and initiate junior programs/short courses because of negative comments.
A new attitude is required if we are to take junior golf to the next level, but it isn’t an easy process.
Kyle German is the 2008 winner of the Canadian PGA Club Professionals Championship and is a teaching professional at Northview Golf and Country Club in Surrey, BC. He is also a longtime member of the PGA of British Columbia and the CPGA.
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Great words Kyle. Most people who are into golf these days, and most of my students, picked up the game later in life. They don’t have a connection to what it was like to be a junior golfer. If it wasn’t for a junior program, I never would’ve stayed in the game. Those people complaining about juniors need to go play a round with the kids, it will give them a little something they missed growing up.
I think it would help to legitimize “short course” play if the PGA Tour had a few events where one round would be played on a short course and the score would count towards their tournament score…just think if the par 3 course at the Masters actually counted…fan exposure would be huge.
MM