Meadowmeer hosts Bainbridge’s first PGA Junior Golf League

Published 12:04 pm Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Golf got a lot of press in Washington recently.

But, even as the world’s best players gathered at Chambers Bay for the 2015 U.S. Open, the sport saw some exciting innovations at the other end of the skills spectrum right here on Bainbridge Island.

Nearly 20 young children and teens looking to try their hand at golf, some for the first time ever, have gathered to form the island’s first Professional Golfers Association Junior Golf League through a partnership between Havill Golf and Meadowmeer Golf Course.

The PGA’s Junior League program is a national team-based variation of golf, designed to better socialize the game for boys and girls — ages 13 and under — in a less stressful scramble format as opposed to stroke-play competition, explained the Bainbridge league’s Head Coach Ian Havill, founder and head instructor of Havill Golf.

Interest was even greater than first anticipated, he added.

“We originally were going to have one team and compete against three other teams on the Kitsap Pennisula,” Havill said. “The interest at Meadowmeer was awesome, and we were having to turn away players. I didn’t feel good about turning away kids, so we got creative and decided to run our own league at Meadowmeer.”

In the end, the island League had enough young players for three teams: Gray, Purple and Blue.

“We play intersquad matches and will also play a home match with White Horse Golf Club, which should be fun,” Havill said.

According to the PGA, Junior League Golf launched as a pilot program in 2011, with teams competing in four select markets: Atlanta, Tampa, Dallas and San Diego. National interest in this new variation of golf exploded then, and, in 2013, the PGA Junior League saw nearly 9,000 participants on more than 740 teams across North America.

Utilizing a team-based format, in which groups of four players — two from each team — work through the course simultaneously, makes golf a more social and less intimidating game for young players, Havill said.

Whereas, in a more traditional golf education experience, a young player may become quickly discouraged if they do not improve immediately, Havill explained that the team-based form puts an emphasis on fun and camaraderie.

“If you’re part of something that is a team, it’s still fun,” he said. “It’s a real friendly format here.”

The format also allows inexperienced players to make mistakes without necessarily falling insurmountably behind on the score card, Havill said, as each young golfer is allowed to hit the ball twice and use their best shot moving forward.

“I think it will be a good thing for the kids and the community,” he added.

The Junior League season runs through July, with plans to revive the program next summer already in effect.

For those potential golfers, aged 7 through 13 who are interested in playing, Meadowmeer Golf Club and Havill Golf will again partner to put on a junior golf camp, a perfect way to get a feel for the game and team format, on July 20, 22 and 24.

Meadowmeer itself is a perfect place to play, Havill added.

“Meadowmeer is a great nine-hole course that is open to the public but also has memberships,” he said. “It has a family friendly atmosphere and it is very affordable for a family to become members.”

Visit www.havillgolf.com or call 206-225-5828 to learn more about the PGA Junior League and the upcoming junior golf camp event.