Junior Golfers...

For the past few days i was busy helping out at my golf club's 3rd Junior Golf competition. For the past 2 years, the competition was only open to local players. This year the organizers decided to open for players from outside my city. Competition was divided into 3 groups. Group D - Age 7-9. Group C - age 10-12, Group B-age 12-14. Group A - age 15-18. The group D one is so cute, small sizes but playing with semangat.

Main aim for the competition is to foster good friendship among the junior players, good networking for the future and the discipline in playing the 'gentlement's game'. How i wish i was young to be like them...:)

Initially, they thought the cut off point will be 80 players. But after registeration was stop, calls kept on coming in. Register for the competition was 91. During the competition, 89 turn up. 45 players is from my club, and the rest was made up of junior golfers from Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu, Labuan, Brunei, KK, Sandakan and Kudat.

The best thing is, no need to pay entrance/competition fees. First day of competition was on Wednesday, after their games, each player had a goodie bag. Which made up off, 1 x shoe bag, 1x towel, 1x tube of golf balls, 1 competition t-shirt and 1 cap. Value of all the things was about RM160.

During the welcoming dinner, also got lucky draws. (Will post up the photos once i loaded it up ). One lucky kid who did not play well during the first day, won the big prize for the nite, a golf bag...junior size bag.

Final day of competition was on Thursday, during the prize giving, there were 75 prizes for the lucky draw (89 players). Major prize was a mountain bike (which was supposed to meant for hole - in - one). 50 of the lucky draw gifts is a golf marker plus pitch thingy with the US Open 2008, San Diego Torrey Pines logo.

The patron of the competition was in US this year for the junior world competition in San Diego, he bought 50 of the 'souvenirs' to be given away as lucky draw for this competition. With the aim of hoping one junior golfer will make it there in the US.

During the prize giving, every body got something to bring back. Some won two lucky draws (welcoming dinner and prize giving time). Those whose name was not called, also got umbrellas to bring back. No junior golfer went back empty handed.

And to top it off, the big guy up there has been very kind, on Monday and Tuesday...heavy rain. But on Wednesday...no rain at all ...on Thursday...only a bit of rain and cloudy. Before the competition, the weather was the main worry for the organizers.

A lot of parents and players commented that it was the best competition they
ever attended. Even got video shooting, at the golf course, welcoming dinner and prize presentation time. No entrance fee and yet good goodie bag and lucky draw gifts.
How did all these came about?

A lot of members in my club fully supports the patron's and club vision for the junior golf programe. Any time the club ask for sponsors, they gladly give. Either their own children are playing, grand children are playing or friend's children who play the game. They gladly give back to the junior programe. Some even pick the players and parents from the airport to hotel, from hotel to club.

Any way, it was great seeing the kids playing the game. Oh ya, my brother won group B's nett competition. His handicap was 20, final day he played 82, so 82-20 = 62. He play under for his handicap. Will see a new handicap for him by next monday. Hopefully with this win, will spur his motivation to improve himself. Who knows may be next year he will get to go to World Junior Competition in the US.