Junior Festivities Kick Off Senior Open

By Brendan Tierney, USGA

Toledo, Ohio – Before senior golfers take center stage Thursday, a group of juniors got their chance in the spotlight at the Inverness Club on Monday.

Nearly 350 boys and girls from Toledo and the surrounding areas participated in the USGA’s Senior Open Junior Day, which consisted of a Dennis Walters Show and a "Drive, Chip, and Putt" Junior Golf Skills Exhibition, put on by the Golf Channel.

The youth participating in the event represented a number of organizations throughout Ohio, including the Toledo District Junior Golf Association, Toledo Minority Golf Association, Toledo Girls Golf and a few local YMCAs.

Several of the organizations have been supported via the USGA’s "For the Good of the Game" grants initiative. This initiative, launched in 1997, is a 10-year, $50-million commitment to golf programs that provide opportunities to economically disadvantaged youth and individuals with disabilities.

The youth were treated to the ‘unusual shots from unusual lies’ of the Dennis Walters Show. Walters had a number of fun displays, including a right-handed shot with a left-handed club and other shots with clubs created from cell phones, gavels, and crutches. He also inspired the juniors to learn from his example and keep reaching for their dreams, telling them he never gave up on his own to play golf for a living despite a golf-cart accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Additionally, he sought to spread the message of the USGA, encouraging all of the kids to "give golf a shot."

There was a moment where the Junior Day participants got an opportunity to hit shots of their own during the Junior Golf Skills Exhibition. Each participant took three swings on the Inverness driving range, attempted to chip in at a chipping station before being challenged by putts of 5 and 15 feet, respectively.

For more information about the USGA and its grants program, visit www.usga.org.

Brendan Tierney is a Fellow with the USGA. E-mail him at btierney@usga.org with questions and comments.