Happy spring! Even though there is still a chill in the air, April always is full of golf anticipation, with the Masters approaching and local courses starting to welcome eager golfers. Now is a great opportunity to plan some quality golf time with your kids. Here are some ideas:
Parent-child events: TGA’s spring parent-child events are Saturday, May 4, at Sycamore Hills in Macomb Township and Sunday, May 5, at Links of Novi. These events are terrific opportunities to spend a fun afternoon and evening with your child. We start with arrival and warmup at 2 p.m., then a clinic around 2:30, 9-hole shotgun start at 3, then dinner afterwards. We use a modified scramble/alternate shot format. Both players hit a tee shot, then both hit a second shot. Then child hits third shot, parent fourth, etc., until holing out. In addition to prizes for the top three teams, we have closest-to-hole and long-drive competitions for adults and children. We also hold 50-50 raffles to benefit the TGA Sports Foundation.
Be a caddy and/or coach at spring league: We have three competitive spring leagues — Saturdays at Sycamore Hills and Maples in Novi starting April 20, and Sundays at Somerset Park in Troy starting April 28. We have a parent volunteer coach for each four-person team, and all parents are encouraged to caddy for your children. Of course it’s fine to just drop off your kids at league and pick them up afterwards, but many parents enjoy carrying the bag and sharing the experience with their kids, cell phones tucked away in the golf bag.
Register here for parent-child events and leagues
Watch the pros together: Introduce your kids to the wonder of the Masters on TV this month, then take them to see the pros in person June 25-30 at the inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club. Up to four children get free tickets along with each paying adult. You can purchase tickets here. This will be the first PGA tour event held within Detroit’s city limits, and the field should be very strong because the event is two weeks after the U.S. Open and three weeks before the British Open.
The LPGA tour is nearby three times this summer — June 13-16 in Grand Rapids, July 11-14 in Toledo and July 17-20 in Toledo. The women pros are always awesome about signing autographs and interacting with kids.
