Teeing off — Westman Junior Golf Tour expands in 20th year

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/05/2020 (1935 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Back in 2001, Gary Poole couldn’t have known the Westman Junior Golf Tour would be one of the only sources of competition for kids in the summer of 2020.

Well, no one could have predicted this COVID-19 pandemic back then, but it makes it that much more special to see his brainchild standing strong entering its 20th season in just a few weeks.

“It’s great. I get excited about it because the kids get excited about it,” Poole said via phone interview Tuesday night.

“It’s helped and been a stepping stone for some kids to continue on their golf career.”

Poole recalled Clear Lake Golf Course pro Matt Nylen claiming the inaugural season title, and the event has had quite a number of Westman athletes carry on to careers in the golf industry.

Now, with a few small tweaks to ensure physical distancing is maintained, the season should be able to start June 9 at Minnedosa Golf and Country Club.

Poole said fields averaged around 30 players in 2019, when he switched the 15- to 18-year-old division to match play.

“From the feedback we’re getting, the kids are real excited because they don’t have any other sports, which is going to be nice for me because I’ve always competed against baseball,” Poole said.

“The toughest one is hockey. A lot of the kids who are competitive hockey players will golf, but they tend to still have summer hockey so I lose some of them for camps. As of now they’ve all got much more free time.”

The 13-14 age group and 12-and-under will remain as stroke-play events.

The schedule has 10 tournaments, all on Tuesdays, with a two-player scramble June 30 at Minnedosa and the championship as usual at Oak Island Golf Resort on Aug. 11.

Poole is please to have two Brandon courses — Glen Lea (July 7) and Wheat City (July 28) — on the calendar as well.

Each event is $30, with discounts coming into play when signing up for five or more tournaments. Nine events is $180 and includes a gift pack. Players can register by phone at 204-573-4686 or email at gpoolepga@hotmail.com.

So far, Poole said most players have signed up for most or all the events. For those on the fence about competing, he said there are a number of benefits to taking that step.

“It definitely tests you. It’s easy to go out with your friends and play and think you’re making improvements but until you get in that competitive atmosphere you’re not sure where your game is at,” Poole said.

“The other thing really find with this tour is the kids make friendships they’ll never lose. Some of their best buddies now are golfers from other towns they’ve met through this tour so that’s exciting for them too.”

• • •

The Golf Clubs for Less Bantam Tour is back for a second year, offering a unique introduction to competitive golf.

Dean Oakden started the series with five events last year, opening it up to kids aged seven to 14 and competing in four age categories.

Events are on Mondays at 12:30 p.m. are $20 each, and entries include a sleeve of golf balls with chances to win prizes. The first is at Deer Ridge Golf Course on July 6, with stops in Killarney, Boissevain and Glen Lea before returning to Deer Ridge for the last one Aug. 10.

Players can enter by contacting Oakden at 204-761-1799 or dean@gcflwestman.com.

“Last year there was around 100 kids that participated in the five events. With limited activities right now I think golf is an excellent outlet for kids to get outside and I expect more kids this year,” Oakden said.

The big difference with this tour is the tee markers are pushed up to age-appropriate distances, more or less based on U.S. Kids Golf yardages.

“If they’re eight years old playing from 400 yards, that’s going to be pretty difficult. If you’re eight years old and you play from 220 yards you’re going to have an opportunity to make a par,” Oakden said.

“Nobody wants to make a 10. Everybody wants to have some fun out there and even Tiger Woods when he was a young age played from the short tees.”

“I think it worked well for the kids last year,” Oakden added. “The feedback I had from parents was they liked the kids having a little bit of success from the shorter tees and I’d go ahead with the same kind of format I had last year.”

In addition to the weekly prizes, every tournament includes an entry into a major draw at the last event, where Oakden said one player will win $500 towards a new set of clubs.

BIRDIES: The ladies Monday best-ball league at Clear Lake is looking for two-player teams. The season runs from mid-June to mid-August and players must have an established handicap. Entry fees are $20 per team plus green fees. Contact Janice Meadows at 204-7280-0708 or janlmeadows@hotmail.com to register by May 31 … The Reesor’s Ladies Open scheduled for July 8 at Glen Lea has been cancelled due to COVID-19.

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