Pittsburgh North Offers Popular Junior Golf Program

As any golfer knows, golf is not just a sport, it's a microcosm of society.

It's played with at least one other person, generally, so it's a team sport, but individual achievement is what counts. An awareness of what's going on in the rest of the course, including the players on the periphery of your group, is crucial to the flow of everyone's game, and there are rules that are in place to ensure the environment is not altered any more than it needs to be.

This is why, says Patricia Price, teaching a child to play golf is something that will benefit them for life. Price is a PGA/LPGA golf professional and director of the junior golf program at Pittsburgh North Golf Club.

"Golf teaches children responsibility and to be aware of what's going on around them and not just in their little world," says Price. "Kids also build relationships and friendships and learn a skill that can serve them well in the future as a social tool."

The Junior Golf Program, which was established in 1950, is not a teaching program. Rather, it assumes a level of competence that will enable the young golfers to maintain a reasonable pace of play so as not to hold up other golfers. That competence may be gained through lessons at Pittsburgh North or elsewhere or by playing with parents.

The main purpose of the junior program is to offer opportunities for junior golfers to play at reduced prices, although there are other discounts, instruction clinics and special outings offered as well. The reduced rate is $2 to play the 9-hole Fox Course at 7 a.m. every weekday from June through August. 

Registration is on Friday from 9 to 10:30 a.m., and on Tuesday, June 14, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. The cost is $38. After these dates, registration can be made by appointment by calling the range at 724-443-0499.

After registration, junior golfers are required to attend an approximately 45-minute orientation.

"Orientation puts golf course management and the juniors on the same page regarding course expectations," says Price. "We just want to make sure they understand the rules and are aware of proper golf-course etiquette. "

Many kids may cringe at the thought of getting up at 7 a.m. during summer vacation, but Price says parents sign their kids up for the program precisely because they don’t want them in bed until noon every day.

They also want them to gain the social awareness that golfing provides and there are often other benefits for the parents as well.

"Our program is so thorough that sometimes the kids end up knowing more about course etiquette than their parent," says Price. "I've heard of kids telling their parents the proper procedure on replacing existing divots or whatever. Everyone can learn from this."