All kids welcome to golf Thursdays

News Release
Oak Harbor Golf Club

The Junior Golf program is underway at Oak Harbor Golf Club of Baudette. Every Thursday morning dozens of kids gather on the greens for a quality round of golf and a chance to learn about team-work, practice skills and enjoy the camaraderie that comes with a sport that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.
It was nearly 15 years ago that Roger Erickson started the Junior Golf program at Oak Harbor Golf Club in Baudette. Erickson has been a golf coach and teacher at Lake of the Woods School for the past 20 years. When he started coaching high school golf, Erickson had kids picking up golf clubs for the first time in their lives in 7th or 8th grade. He quickly realized it would be hard to compete at a varsity level without earlier exposure to the game. He is dedicated to teaching this sport to youngsters. “ I grew up on a golf course, and spent lots of fun times out here. Many of the kids in this area are first generation golfers, so there aren’t people around to teach them, I figure I can provide that,” says Erickson.
It’s an early start for the kids as they meet at 8 am for chipping and putting practice; by 8:30 am the games begin with a shotgun start. Erickson works individually with each child and in groups as he teaches them the rules of the game. “We focus heavily on etiquette,” says Erickson, “we emphasize how to play safe and quick, and work on skills along the way. The kids get very excited when they hit a good shot; they keep coming back for more.”
“We have some very talented golfers,” Erickson says of the over 30 kids that he is working with this summer. The field of players is fairly evenly split between boys and girls and also between members of the golf course and non-members. There is no additional charge for those that are members. Non-members simply pay a green fee. The instruction that Erickson and his team of LOW National Honors Society members provide is free to all youth that choose to golf on Thursday mornings. Erickson also provides a set of clubs if the kids need them.
The Junior Golf program usually begins the first week out of school and continues through early August when they host the Junior Tournaments. Ages of children range from those going into 4th grade to those entering high school. There is no pre-registration required; the kids simply need to show up on Thursday mornings if they would like to learn to golf.