Players on the PGA Tour Canada made a recent pit stop at the Innisfail Golf Club to mentor a handful of star-struck junior golfers in the fine art of the game.
Innisfail was one of eight Alberta communities selected this year to host one of ATB Financial's Junior Golf Clinics. "This is the second time in three or four years that Innisfail Golf Club has been able to participate in this event," said Jim Boomer, head professional at the Innisfail Golf Club, of the June 26 event. "They seem to like the location. With any luck we may see this become an annual event for us."
This year's mentors, James Love, Mike Mezei and Steven Lecuyer took time out of their busy golfing schedules to lead the one-hour golf clinics, instructing kids aged 12 and under, many of who travelled from all corners of Central Alberta to take part in the event. Two Innisfail youths, Ethan Meding and Tyler Watts, both junior members of the Innisfail Golf Club, were lucky enough to be chosen to participate.
"Registration was through the ATB Financial Junior Golf Clinics page on the ATB website," said Boomer. "They only had room for a little over 20 kids at each location so if you didn't get your name in right away, you didn't get to participate."
Boomer said he was glad that the two from Innisfail who were chosen were avid golfers. "This is a really great opportunity for kids who are really keen on golf," said Boomer. "They have these Canadian Tour Players, guys who actually play golf for a living, come and teach them some skills. They get a chance to not only get a lesson from these guys, but to actually get to know them a little bit. Suddenly they have a reason to follow a certain player. It really enhances the child's interest in the game."
The event usually coincides with the Alberta leg of the Canadian PGA Tour. This year the ATB Financial Classic, presented by Telus, was scheduled to take place in Calgary from June 20 to June 23. However, last month's flooding forced cancellation of the event, which has now been rescheduled to begin on August 6.
Boomer is glad that the clinics were allowed to proceed even though the tour event had to be postponed. "I think it is just a really good program in terms of getting kids a little more interested in golf," said Boomer. "By interacting with these players, a young person who might want to take up the sport can see first hand what can happen if they decide to take it seriously. They could actually become really good at it and maybe go on the tour themselves one day."
While specific locations for next year's event haven't been chosen yet, the clinics usually take place in June. Anyone interested in registering should keep an eye on the ATB Financial website, www.atb.com, for more information in the coming months.
