There will be a junior golf program, kicking off this week, at the Osoyoos Golf Club, despite the recent announcement that Bob Blount, one of the founders of the Junior Golf Development Program that started 24 years ago, is retiring. Claudia Wood, a three-time ladies club champion at Osoyoos Golf Club, will be heading up the new program. Blount and the other founders of the junior program are holding a special luncheon on Saturday afternoon at Osoyoos Golf Club to celebrate the program’s 24 years of success. (Keith Lacey file photo)

A junior golf program for young golfers at the Osoyoos Golf Club will continue this summer under new leadership.

Bob Blount, one of the founders of the Junior Golf Development Program, has announced he’s retiring after leading the successful program that introduces the basics of the game of golf to youngsters for over 20 years.

Claudia Wood, a longtime member of the Osoyoos Golf Club and three-time winner as Ladies Club Champion, will be heading up the new junior golf program that kicks off this weekend at Osoyoos Golf Club.

On Saturday, Blount and the numerous volunteers who helped organize the Junior Golf Development Program, are holding a special appreciation luncheon at Osoyoos Golf Club to honour all of those who have contributed so much to promoting golf to youngsters in Osoyoos over the past two decades.

For Wood, stepping in to continue a junior golf program is something she’s very much looking forward to.

“I ran a girls-only junior program in Alberta for three or four years and I really enjoyed it,” said Wood. “I’m looking forward to stepping in and running a good junior program for boys and girls here in Osoyoos.”

For eight Wednesday afternoons this summer, starting this week, young golfers between the ages of 6 and 12 will be taught the basics of golf, including proper grip, stance, chipping, putting, swing path and etiquette of the game, said Wood.

Osoyoos Golf Club general manager Lee Sapach and Wayne Hachey, owner of the Osoyoos Golf Academy, introduced a junior program for more advanced junior golfers last year and that will continue this year, so they narrowed the age group for her program to 12 and under, said Wood.

“The program will make sure the youngsters are having fun as they learn and develop skills that will provide them a lifetime of enjoyment,” she said.

Before moving to Osoyoos in 2010, Wood created and ran the very successful Girls Golf Program at the Leduc Golf and Country Club near Edmonton.

“I am excited to be taking on the junior program this year and looking forward to working with these future golfers,” she said. “There is nothing more satisfying than watching a child’s face light up when they try and succeed at something new.

“The junior program offers a great opportunity for kids to learn basic golf skills in a fun environment. Golf is a sport for a lifetime and our program will start these kids off on what could be many decades of enjoyment and recreation.”

The program started Wednesday, July 5. All kids enrolled in the program will get their lessons between 3 – 4:30 p.m. They will continue in this time slot over the next several weeks.

Wood said she has lined up a great group of volunteer instructors and is looking forward to continuing the success of developing junior golfers in Osoyoos.

Registration fee is $50 and registration forms are available at the pro shop. Thanks to sponsorships from the Osoyoos Credit Union and the Dorcas Ladies who operate the United Church Thrift Store, some scholarships are available for students with financial need, said Wood.

There will be some golf equipment available for those young golfers without their own, said Wood.

Spaces are limited although she will try and accommodate all young golfers between the ages of 6 and 12 who register, she said.

If you have questions about the 2017 program, you can call the pro shot at 250-495-7003 or email Wood at claudiawood@eastlink.

KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times