BCGA School Golf program

by Kelly Lapointe
Sports Editor
Alaska Highway News (Fort St. John)
www.alaskahighwaynews.ca

The local golf community is getting a boost before the season has even really started.

Kathy Gook, Director of School Golf for British Columbia Golf, was helping to grow the sport, focusing on certain divisions, this week.

On Monday, Gook taught local golf professionals and volunteers how to work with the SNAG equipment – Starting New At Golf.

“Our whole program is to get golf to be one of the core sports taught in school so that we can grow the game and get more juniors out,” she explained.

Gook is an LPGA teaching professional and is currently travelling to each provincial zone, emphasizing the importance of growing the game of golf in the junior and women’s demographics. She is currently on a tour of Zone 8.

The SNAG equipment is geared towards younger golfers with bigger clubs and tennis balls that attach to Velcro targets.

Gook and the newly trained helpers went into local schools to help and will be going to Dawson Creek later this week.

“The kids love the equipment. It’s all developed in such a way that it’s kid friendly and it’s friendly for anybody starting new at the game. The response from coaches and volunteers has been fantastic,” she said.

She said that going into schools is also about educating the teachers in the sport. She said the equipment is very self-explanatory.

“Sometimes we get caught up in the fact that golf is a very difficult sport and maybe some teachers who don’t play the game aren’t wanting to teach it. Yet it’s just like basketball or any other sport. They can give the kids an overall sense about how to play the game and some fundamentals. I think that it’s a great introduction to the game.”

Training people in SNAG equipment and going into schools were two out of three of Gook’s goals for visiting Zone 8.

“I’m really impressed by the golf courses out here and their desire to get more kids involved in the game,” she said.

“They’ve been so enthusiastic about it, which I think is great.”

The third goal was to have a ladies’ clinic, to really work with women so they have more skill and grow their participation.

“We firmly believe that golf is one of those sports that you can be active for life in it. It’s a great family activity…It has a great social aspect and it’s also a great way to get exercise,” she said at Lone Wolf Golf Course Wednesday afternoon before hosting a free ladies clinic and playing in their Ladies’ Night.

She highlighted that it’s important to listen to your body’s tempo. At the clinic she recommended warming up by hitting four balls with 25, 50, 75 and 100 per cent strength to see what is right for your body that day.

There was a large group of ladies who turned out for the clinic, despite the cold temperature and strong winds.

After Fort St. John and Taylor, Gook heads to Dawson Creek.