A new Junior Golf League will be starting on May 1 at the Osoyoos Golf Club and it has been designed to attract young golfers who have shown potential and talent to improve their skills and prepare for tournament play. The program will compliment the Junior Golf Development Program that has been running at the local club for almost 20 years. That program begins May 28. (Lyonel Doherty file photo)
The Osoyoos Golf Club is offering a new and exciting new opportunity for junior golfers who are showing promise and potential as players.
Starting on Sunday, May 1, the Osoyoos Junior Development Program will be offering a new Junior Golf League.
“This is a new and exciting opportunity for the young golfers of our community to experience and extend their development and interest in golf,” said Bob Blount, one of the founders of the junior development program in Osoyoos almost 20 years ago. “The Junior Golf League will offer the youngsters who have developed the basic skills and knowledge of golf an opportunity to increase their development of swing mechanics, rules of golf and prepare for competition.”
This new junior league will run from May 1 every Sunday from 3 – 5:30 p.m. and continue throughout the summer.
The junior golfers will be given instruction under the direction of Lee Sapach and Wayne Hachey.
Sapach is the general manager of Osoyoos Golf Club after working for many years as the club’s head professional.
Hachey is the founder of the Osoyoos Desert Golf Academy and he is also the owner and president of the Evolve Pro Golf Tour in Europe.
During his playing days, Hachey came within one shot of qualifying for the British Open.
Each training session will include skills development followed by on course play, said Blount.
The format will include competitive individual and team play.
The schedule for the summer will have 10 sessions, approximately every second Sunday.
It will end on the Junior Development Program windup weekend in August, with the junior club championship tournament set for Saturday, Aug. 27 and the Junior/Adult Tournament awards ceremony and banquet on Sunday, Aug. 28.
To be eligible for this opportunity a young golfer must have developed the basic skills and knowledge of golf and have a junior or seasonal membership at the Osoyoos Golf Club. The fee for participation is only $25 for the entire summer.
To register for, or receive more information, please contact Sapach at [email protected] or Wayne Hachey at [email protected].
The junior development program, which introduces young golfers from age six up to 15 to the game of golf, will begin on Saturday, May 28.
“We will be offering some new and exciting changes to this program to afford better conditions for summer activities,” said Blount. “We will be running our developmental sessions in the morning, thus avoiding the heat of afternoon play.
The program will start on May 28 at 9 a.m. and will run on Saturdays through to June 25.
Once school is over, the program will change days to Wednesday and continue from July 6 through to the year end events and closing junior tournament on August 27 and awards ceremony and banquet on Aug. 28.
“We invite all youngsters between the ages of seven and 15 to join and participate in learning and developing the skills, fun and values of golf,” said Blount. “Thanks to our sponsorship of the Osoyoos Credit Union, our fee will remain at $50 for the full program.
“We are able to reduce the fee to families with more than one child participating. As well, we offer scholarships to ensure that no child will be left out due to financial concerns.
“With our new junior league and our Junior Development Program, we hope to encourage more of the Osoyoos youngsters to begin and continue to develop the skills, fun and excitement of golf.”
Blount said he’s proud of the fact that the junior development program has played a significant role in helping Osoyoos develop so many top-notch junior golfers over the years and he’s confident the new junior golf league will result in many more juniors becoming successful in the game and in life.
For more information on the junior league or junior development program, contact Blount at 250-495-5125 or by email at [email protected].
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
