Juniors have plenty of options in Central Oregon

Published 5:00 am Sunday, May 2, 2010

What to do with kids during the summer is a decision faced by many parents.

Children could hang out in the parking lot at the local corner store when they are out of school, of course.

But a better option might be to get them out on the golf course.

Thankfully, from the Central Oregon Junior Golf Association to free greens fees at Tetherow Golf Club in Bend and Eagle Crest Resort in Redmond, Central Oregon offers a wealth of opportunities for juniors.

And though golf here is barely affordable for some, that is not necessarily the case for golfers younger than 18 years old.

Here are a few ways to get children on the links:

Free golf

Eagle Crest in Redmond and Tetherow in Bend this summer will be offering free golf for juniors.

Golfers younger than 18 can play for free after 3 p.m. any day at Eagle Crest Resort, which long has maintained a policy of keeping golf cheap for kids. To play for free, youngsters must be accompanied by a paying adult. And if a junior golfer wants to play without adult accompaniment, the cost after 3 p.m. is $10 on the Ridge and Resort courses and $5 on the Challenge Course.

“Eagle Crest has always been very friendly to the kids,” says Woodie Thomas, tournament director for the Central Oregon Junior Golf Association.

And this year Tetherow will be following suit. Golfers between 12 and 17 years old can play Tetherow for free after 3 p.m. all summer long.

But to be eligible for the Tetherow deal, young golfers must attend one of two remaining two-hour orientations, on May 8 and May 15, at the southwest Bend course. Cost is $39, and golfers must reserve a spot in the class. To do so, call Bob Duncan, Tetherow’s director of instruction, at 541-749-8253, or e-mail him at golfsavvy@msn.com.

Keep in mind, too, that nearly every golf course in the region offers discounted greens fees for junior golfers. Call your favorite golf facility for more information.

Fuel the competitive fire

The Central Oregon Junior Golf Association is teeing up its 16th season this year.

A weekly competitive series of golf tournaments during the summer, COJGA has helped foster the golf careers of a number of young Central Oregon players, including Andrew Vijarro, who is now a sophomore starter for the nationally ranked University of Oregon men’s golf team.

And COJGA has only increased in popularity since its inception. Last year more than 300 junior golfers took part in the program, and Thomas, the COJGA tournament director, expects roughly the same number this year.

“It has (been successful),” says Thomas, a Sunriver resident who has been involved with COJGA since 2000. “We are pretty happy that we can help that many kids.”

Starting in June, COJGA will host eight Monday tournaments at golf courses around the region. The season wraps up with the Tournament of Champions on Sunday, Aug. 15, at Sunriver Resort’s Woodlands course.

To join, junior golfers ages 9 through 17 must pay a $50 membership fee, or a family (two or more players) can join for $85. Each tournament carries an entry fee of $20 per golfer.

COJGA offers an introductory program for players ages 6 to 8, for whom the membership fee is $15 and the per-event fee is $8.

Golfers who have never played in COJGA must attend one of two new-member qualifiers, which will be held on May 23 and May 30 at Awbrey Glen Golf Club in Bend.

For more information, visit www.cojga.com, or call Thomas at 541-598-4653.

Sharpen the skills

• Bob Duncan, director of instruction at Tetherow in Bend, has developed a mentoring program in which golfers ages 12 to 17 play together and are mentored by a professional. Golfers will get golf instruction from pros at each participating facility and a minimum of one round of golf each week, and they will work within small groups with other junior golfers. Cost to take part in the mentoring program will be established by each participating golf club. So far, the program has been adopted in some form at Tetherow, as well as at Bend courses Awbrey Glen Golf Club and Widgi Creek Golf Club, and at Aspen Lakes Golf Course in Sisters and Sunriver Resort. For more information, contact any of the clubs mentioned above.

• Crooked River Ranch will host two junior camps this summer, according to Pat Huffer, head pro at the facility. For $75, 8- to 17-year-olds will receive a week of instruction on the fundamentals of putting, chipping, approach shots and tee shots. The camps are scheduled for June 28-July 2 and Aug. 9-13. The second camp is reserved for intermediate golfers who have received previous formal instruction or have participated in at least two other camps. For more information, call the Crooked River Ranch clubhouse at 541-923-6343.

• Eagle Crest’s junior golf program begins June 1 and is for players between the ages of 6 and 17. During two five-week sessions, golfers will meet each Monday from 10 a.m. to noon to learn the full swing, the short game, and golf etiquette. Cost is $85 per golfer and includes Eagle Crest’s junior championship at summer’s end. For more information, call the Eagle Crest School of Golf at 541-504-3879.

• Juniper Golf Course in Redmond will host its junior program from June 21 to Aug. 15. Junior golfers will meet 10 to 12 times during the summer, working with Juniper’s golf instruction staff on fundamentals and etiquette. Cost is $50. For more information or to register, call Juniper at 541-548-3121.

• Other golf facilities are still in the process of organizing their own junior programs, including Sunriver Resort, Widgi Creek, and the Puterbaugh-Green Academy of Golf at Aspen Lakes.