Golf clubs across the region are seeing a big increase in the number of young people out on the links.
“We’re at 90 junior members this year,” said Legends Golf Club general manager Davidson Matyczuk. “That’s about a 50 per cent increase over last year.
“And the junior memberships started coming in much earlier. Usually we don’t see a lot of juniors join until mid-June when school starts to wind down. But of course, this year is a lot different than a normal year.”
With schools shut down since mid-March and organized sports off-limits, the opening of golf courses in mid-May offered young people an opportunity to get outside and play.
For many, it’s their first taste of a sport that they might not otherwise try.
“What we’re seeing is kids on the driving range and on the course just playing golf for fun,” said Matyczuk. “We also see them golfing with their parents.
“A lot of the kids are involved in hockey, and if it wasn’t for the COVID-19 situation they might not ever get exposed to golf. So in a way it’s helping grow the game at the grassroots level.”
Waldheim’s PineRidge Golf Club general manager Trevor Hiebert said many young people in the community are making the switch to golf.
“We saw a bit of a trend last year,” said Hiebert. “But this year it’s taken off. We have a lot of young hockey players in town, and it seems to be that golf is a natural thing for them when they’re not able to lace up the skates. There’s also no organized softball right now. Golf is one of the few options they have.”
The Waldheim club currently has 21 junior members; many of them age 13 or younger. They make up about half the membership of the club.
Hiebert said the Waldheim course is a little smaller and more informal, which encourages families and small groups of youth to book tee times together.
“With the COVID-19 restrictions, we have to have 15-minute intervals between tee times, so things are a little more relaxed that way as well,” said Hiebert. “The kids don’t have to keep up a rigid pace and they can enjoy themselves more.
“Plus we’re right on the edge of town. They can just walk or ride their bikes here with no trouble. We see a lot of the same kids every day.”
Golf Saskatchewan Executive Director and CEO Brian Lee said there has “definitely been an increase in junior golf memberships” across the province.
“A lot of parents and grandparents are signing up their kids and grandkids to play golf as a family activity,” said Lee. “It’s not just increasing memberships. It’s also an increase in green fees; more kids are playing the courses even when they’re not members.”
Lee said the actual membership numbers for golf clubs across the province won’t be known until July. But anecdotally, virtually every club is reporting more young people swinging clubs.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is serious, but there if there’s a bit of a bright spot for our sport, it seems to be the opportunity it’s opened up for youth,” said Lee. “As an association, we’ve been promoting golf in schools and trying to introduce young people to the sport for years.
“This year, we’re seeing a lot of kids taking it up.”
Lee said in addition to encouraging kids to be physically active and spend less time glued to their small screens, golf actually provides a lesson in practical physics.
“A kid has to use his or her head to figure things out,” said Lee. “If they have to hit a ball 100 yards, they need to know what club to use and how hard to swing. It’s applied physics and geometry and math and all those other fun things they thought they’d never have to use in real life.”
Lee said Golf Saskatchewan will be able to update the status of its proposed provincial championships on June 15. The Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur championships are currently booked for the Legends Golf Club July 21-23