Though the Silver Bay youth golf season technically wouldn’t have been over until after the Junior Golf Tournament on Wednesday August 14th, the end of the season was celebrated in a way where all the kids quite literally had a ball. On August 7th, the young golfers filled the green of the Silver Bay Golf Course to take part in a five-ball scramble.
“It went really good,” said Mike Guzzo, who has been coaching with the program since he retired. “Most of the kids showed up so I think we had 36 kids show up that day.”
The scramble was broken into two age groups, from 6-10 and 11-17. Each kid who participated received a golf ball from a sleeve donated by Kelly and Erik Ollila. They also received passes for Black Beach Mini Golf and prizes like sweatshirts, hats, and t-shirts made possible by donations, such as the generous funds given to the program by Outdoor Sports Expo.
Terry Blood and Kelly Ollila served hot dogs, chips, root beer, and a cookie, ensuring that the season ended on a sweet note.
According to Mike, the program is a joint venture between the Silver Bay Golf Course and the City of Silver Bay.
“Norma O’Leary, the golf course superintendent, is more than supportive of golf for the kids in town and the junior golf program,” Mike explained.
He has seen an influx of interest and participation over the years. He recalled when he started coaching there were about a dozen kids. This year there were 41 involved who signed up to play from June 12th through August 7th.
“It’s grown every year,” Mike said. “It’s turned out to be a pretty good program. Two of our golfers have gone on to start playing on the PGA Junior League Tour.”
He feels the success of Gordon Goutermont (13) and Easton Hohman (12) might inspire others to join the junior league.
“Hopefully more of these kids will be ready for that and want to venture into that,” Mike said of the junior league. “They really enjoy it so I think their buddies will get interested next year. I bet there will be more kids signing up to do that.”
Mike explained that he has a lot of help involved in making sure youth golf tees up nicely for the kids who want to learn about playing the sport. He mentioned Jesse Viola and Jake Stadler as great golfers to assist in coaching and how great the parents were about chipping in to set up the scramble.
“It’s a pretty good event,” Mike said. “Good for the golf course and good for the kids in town because they get exposed to it.”
I wish I had been at the golf course to be part of the par-tee. It would’ve been worth the drive!
