Junior golf tour returns to action
John White was back in his happy place Monday.
The organizer of the Niagara Junior Golf Tour was sitting beside a cooler near the first tee at Brock Golf Club sending teens out for the first stop of 2020 for the tour.
“It’s important because the kids want to be better golfers and part of that is testing yourself against the other players,” he said. “As a player myself, that is the most exciting thing. Going out and playing with your friends is fine, but competing and putting your skills up against other players, that is what it’s all about.”
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, changes have been made to allow the tour to resume play. Most of the shotgun starts have been eliminated and groups are sent out in 10-minute intervals. Players are asked to arrive 20 minutes before their tee times and leave as soon as possible afterwards. Flagsticks stay in the holes, players are asked to maintain social distancing and no playoffs will be held.
“Other than that, we are just trying to get them out playing,” he said.
The after-round lunch is also a victim of the pandemic.
“You don’t get the kids sitting around for lunch,” White said. “They make so many different friendships that way but they still will.”
It has yet to be determined whether the tour will host its year-end banquet but the Humber Cup, an Ontario-wide events featuring teams from various junior tours across the province, and the Ontario Summer Games have been cancelled.
White has struggled to find enough course to post the events.
“I have eight events and I am still working to try and get two more,” he said. “Some of the courses were just too busy and that is understandable.”
The schedule presently includes Brock Golf Club, July 13 at Rolling Meadows, July 20 at Bridgewater, July 21 at Legends on the Niagara, July 24 at Willodell, Aug. 5 at Sawmill, Aug. 11 at Grand Niagara and Aug. 24 at Beechwood.
“One of the things that might work to our advantage is if the kids don’t go back to school in the fall, we may be able to continue on the tour into the fall,” he said.
While has around 60 golfers signed up for the tour and isn’t certain if he can accommodate too many more.
“It’s based on the availability at most courses because I need two and a half hours of tee times.”
Because of the surge in popularity in golf among teens, the tour’s numbers are up from last year.
