By Steve Korby
Junior golf program teaches golf and life skills
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Steve Korby
Aaron Young is the director of the volunteer program for the Cloquet Country Club Junior Program. It's the perfect combination of Young's teaching and golf skills, and he has more than 50 young golfers participating this year.
Forty years ago this week, a two-year-old Tiger Woods appeared on the afternoon TV variety program "The Mike Douglas Show." Little Tiger was featured because of his status as a national golfing prodigy. Other guests on the program were Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart and Tiger's Dad, Earl Woods. Tiger won the hearts of many Americans by winning a quarter from Bob Hope with a little trickery and making a 1-foot putt. Of course, Tiger went on to be a champion amateur and professional golfer.
Not sure if there is a budding Tiger or Tigress, but there are more than 50 Cloquet-area youth participating in the Cloquet Country Club Junior Program. Tuesday mornings are busy at the club with the younger kids there 10-11 a.m. and the bit older from 11 a.m. to noon. The youngest is 5 and the oldest 15 years old.
Aaron Young is the director of the volunteer program. Young grew up playing at the club and has had golfing success at his home course by winning the prestigious Cloquet Invitational Tournament. He is a social studies teacher at Cloquet Middle School and "recruits" potential junior program candidates by sending out registration forms to area students in May. He has led the successful junior program for several years and he calls it a nice change of pace from his usual teaching duties.
Young gets assistance from volunteers Kelsey Timm, Sam Baker and Kory Nordeen.Timm is a recent college graduate and will be teaching fourth grade in Sandstone this fall. She is energetic and engaging, played college golf, and has worked at the club for several years.
Baker's golfing beginnings include playing with his grandpa and former Cloquet Country Club member Jim Crowley. Baker is an integral part of the two-time regional champion Cloquet High School golf team. He also finished fourth in the Minnesota State High School golf tourney in 2018, as a freshman.
Steve Korby
Kelsey Timm (left), who golfed in college, helps a group of young golfers as part of the Cloquet Country Club Junior Program.
Nordeen has a varied and interesting instructional background and even cooks part-time at the club.
Not only do the kids learn about putting and chipping and driving the golf ball, they are taught about patience, respect and golf etiquette. It's great to see the kids swinging the clubs but also to see them sitting back, enjoying a Gatorade and chips and chatting about their game and the program activities during their day.
Bill Manahan, the PGA golf professional at the club, says that it is impressive to see some of the program "graduates" go on to have success at the high school and college level, but probably even more important to witness that they learn some life skills, play outside and enjoy and play a sport they can cherish for the rest of their lives.
Maybe no little Tiger "cubs" yet, but a lot of kids having fun, getting exercise, and making friends.
