Youth Golf League tees off this week
The Youth Golf League held its first Youth League Tuesday May 25 at Pheasant Run Golf Club, with plans to continue through the summer.
High school golf coach Rich Borman is heading up the program, and said he hopes this can become an annual league for local youth.
The Youth League will meet the following Tuesdays throughout the summer beginning at 5 p.m. each week: June 8, 15 and 27, and July 6, 13 and 27.
To sign up a team, the cost is $50, or it will cost $25 for an individual to join the league. The entry fee covers each week of play, including an end of season tournament with prizes, skills assessment, handicap tracking, group training and snacks and drinks.
Youth interested in signing up must be at least entering the seventh grade in the upcoming 2021-2022 school year, and it is not necessary to be a Pheasant Run Golf Club member.
Borman said he has seen a huge response to this program, and a lot of support.
“It’s been really, really nice to have the enthusiasm for this,” he remarked.
It seems, he said, that kids are looking for something like this as a way to get involved with golf, and he hopes through this youth league he can help fill that void.
One of the things Borman hopes comes of this program is that youth will gain knowledge about the sport so they’re able to have fun and get excited about golf. This, he says, will help develop their passion for golfing.
Before playing with the league, youth must meet qualifying criteria such as rules knowledge and an ability test, in order to keep the game going at a good pace while out on the course.
Over the course of the program, a variety of scoring formats will be utilized, such as team score, better ball and scrambles.
This, Borman noted, makes it fun for the kids to learn about team strategies and skills.
Though golf is usually an individual sport, Borman said being on a team can teach important lessons about team development, working within the framework of a team and supporting teammates.
Borman also wants the kids to learn about handicaps, defined by the United States Golf Teachers Federation as a measure of a player’s current ability over an entire round of golf, signified by a number.
Each night of practice, there will be hole prize which will be listed on the scorecards. Borman said the prizes will be golf related, but he plans to keep the prizes a secret until they are given to winners.
Upon arrival, participants must sign in. Three groups will be assigned together for each Youth League Tuesday, and when all members arrive, golfers may begin their game.
Scorecards with scores and team names and numbers must be turned in each week, and scores can be found at the Pheasant Run website: sites.google.com/site/GrantGolfClub.
At the end of the program, there will be a Championship Tournament, a stroke play tournament that will be flighted based on the average score for the year. The tournament is scheduled for Tuesday, July 27.
Outside of the youth league, Borman is also offering a youth clinic for individual and group lessons for K-12 players interested in developing their golf skills.
The lessons are one hour long, with one session for $20 and three sessions, as well as nine holes of golf, for $50.
Borman has put together online sign-up forms for those interested in participating:
• Youth Golf League - https://forms.gle/Ge83a9GdWrP9ETYcA
• Youth Clinic - https://forms.gle/VJRUps5mW6HjoQ3b6
Borman can also be contacted directly regarding sign-up at (951)533-3651.
Those interested in the individual and group clinics can enroll any time throughout the summer, as Borman plans to offer lessons until mid-August.
For the youth league, however, Borman said he would prefer if all who are interested register by the end of the week.