Well, hopefully the snow and flooding are gone for this season and the area golfers can finally start to get a few rounds under their belts (white belts of course).
I am excited for the upcoming year as we are bringing back our Friday morning junior golf lessons. The lessons will start on June 5 and will cost $10 and run through the end of June. The lessons will be from 8:30-10 a.m. for boys and girls ages 13 and under. Boys and girls from the ages of 13-17 will have their lessons from 10:30 a.m.-noon. The lessons wll be held at Souris Valley Golf Course and we will cover the entire game from swinging the club to learning the etiquette of the game. We will try and keep the class fun and educational.
The next task will we our First Tee Program. We have progressed with many of our youth through Target, Par and Birdie and we are going to continue this program also. I must ask for a little patience with our First Tee. We will get it going and will have sign up at Souris and the Wee Links staring next week. Jeremy Zarr, our First Tee Director, has decided to take a different job so we are looking to explore our oppurtunities with The First Tee for future years. On Wednesday there will be a First Tee meeting at Souris Valley for as many kids and parents that can attend. It will be at the Souris Valley Golf Course 19th Hole at 6:30 p.m.
Please note that the junior lessons and the First Tee summer program will both be held at Souris Valley. When we have the youngsters venture out on the course we will have them at the Jack Hoeven Wee Links.
Also, we can sure use a few volunteers to help us through the summer programs. I know that many of you have helped in the past and I thank all of you for doing so. I hope to see you this summer also.
We are also bringing back the Minot City Junior Championship for boys and girls. This event will be scheduled sometiime in late July or early August.
This Sunday at the Jack Hoeven Wee Links all of you wonderful mothers can play a round for free as long as you have a youngster with you. We also will have nine closest-to-the-hole prizes that will be just for mothers. Even if you have never tried golf, I would encourage you to come out and try the game! Even Anika and Phil started somewhere and I am sure they were nervous. So mom come on out to the Jack Hoeven Wee Links and maybe you'll find out your too are a Tiger on the course!
Rule of the week - Rule 7-1 b. Before a round or play-off on any day of a stroke-play competition, a competitor must not practice on the competion course or test the surface of any putting surface on the course by rolling a ball or roughening or scraping the surface.
Quote of the week - "The psychological element is this sport is the cause of many sad and weary hearts after the game is all over. Much could be written about this very interesting, tricky and deceiving golf obstacle." From the 1929 book by John Hackbarth "The Key to Better Golf."
Etiquette Rule of the Week - Please fix your ball mark and one more. Also, many golf courses are soft in a lot of areas this time of year so please be carefull where you drive those golf cars.
Keep it in the fairway.
Steve Kottsick is the Golf professional at Souris Valley Golf Course. He writes a column in the Minot Daily News during the golf season. He can be reached by email at sports@minotdailynews.com.