Child's Play: Getting kids on the turf

By Shane Frederick
Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO July 15, 2008 12:48 am

— When it comes to teaching children how to play golf, Jerry Mosca has just two pieces of advice: “Swing it and have fun,” the longtime teaching pro said.
Simple stuff for what is often times viewed as a not-so-simple sport to get the hang of.
But getting kids to enjoy the game can be as easy as just showing up, whether it’s to the golf course or the driving range.
“I always think kids are the seed for the future of the game of golf,” Mosca said. “When kids and their parents start playing golf ... often times you see the whole family starting playing.
“It’s a wonderful, vicious circle. That’s what I like to call it.”
In Mankato and North Mankato, there are a few options for families who want to get their young kids on the course. There are three public golf courses in the two towns and three driving ranges, along with several public courses in the surrounding area.
One popular place to take kids, especially pre-teens, is the executive (par 3) track at Terrace View Golf Course.
“It’s wonderful for kids,” said Mosca, who has taught lessons for the last 19 years, including 13 years at Terrace View and the last six at North Links Golf Course in North Mankato. “Mankato, overall, is not a bad situation for kids and beginners.”
Mosca is teaching lessons through the Mankato YMCA this week at North Links. Terrace View’s junior lessons, which more than 300 kids ages 7 to 14 participated in, according to manager and director of golf, Tim Johnson, ended last week.
But you don’t necessarily have to enroll in lessons or classes to begin.
Last week, the Minnesota Golf Association sponsored a “Bring Your Family to the Golf Course” program designed to get more families involved in the game.
Twenty courses around the state — although none locally — participated in the week-long event, which allowed kids 18 and under to golf for free when accompanied by a paying adult.
“We recognize the key role that families play in introducing the game to a new generation of golfers,” Tom Ryan, the MGA’s executive director and chief operating officer, said in a press release about the program.
Terrace View’s Johnson agreed and said he sees dads, moms and, lately, a lot of grandparents bringing young children to play on the executive course, which is across Highway 22 from the clubhouse and regulation nine-hole golf course.
“I’ve seen a lot more of that, which I think is great,” Johnson said. “It’s a great place to learn how to golf.”
Most kids, Johnson said, aren’t ready for the long courses until they’re 12 or 13. Although the course is a challenging one, a short course, he said, gives them a chance to have some success and see their progress.
“They want to grab that driver and let it fly,” Johnson said. “It’s a lot more fun than putt-putt golf. There’s a variety, and the greens over there are not easy.”
Minneopa Golf Course is a shorter regulation course that younger kids may find works for them, Mosca said, adding that driving ranges are good places to give tykes a taste of the game.
“Kids love to practice,” he said. “They love to go out and hit.”
Both Terrace View and North Links feature driving range, as does the Grand Champion Sports Complex, which is known for its miniature golf courses and batting cages.
“There are lots of mulligans out on the driving range,” Mosca said. “I love seeing kids get excited about a sport.
“That’s our future.”