TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Highlands Today

Sertoma Junior Golf Tour On Tap

Mark Pinson/Highlands Today

Blake Liles has the talent to contend for the 16-18 age group Sertoma Junior Tour title.

ADVERTISEMENT

By Mark  Pinson | Highlands Today

Published: May 5, 2008

SEBRING –– With the school days dwindling down, thoughts of summer recreation activities come to mind.

For junior golfers in the Heartland, the best place to be is participating on the Sertoma Junior Golf Tour.

The popular tour, which was the brainchild of former Sebring Golf Club professional Tom McClurg, is beginning its 14th season with Sun 'N Lake assistant professional Andy Kesling beginning his second year as Sertoma Junior Golf Tour director.

The weekly tournaments usually attract between 50-75 youngsters, ages 6-18, and Kesling is hoping that even more junior golfers come out this year.

"We are looking forward to the summer," said the affable Kesling. "We're hoping for a large number of kids to come out and participate and the more they play and practice, the quicker they will improve.

"We want to step it up a notch this year, and playing in the Sertoma events is great experience for any age golfer."

The Sertoma season kicks off with the annual adult/child tournament on Sunday, June 1, at Sun 'N Lake Country Club with a 1 p.m. shotgun start.

Registration for the two-person event is $50 per team.

"This is an event that lets the kids play with their parents or an adult," said Kesling. "It's a lot of fun and we always have a good turnout for it."

The Sertoma Tour offers youngsters a chance to play a different course each week under competitive pressure through August 17th.

'The tournaments give the golfers a chance to play against kids in their own age groups," said Kesling. "Practice is great, but taking what you've learned and applying it on the course under pressure is really important.

"Getting used to being nervous, seeing how you compare with the other golfers and figuring out what you need to work on is good for the kids."

Registration to join the Sertoma Junior Tour is $25 and the cost for each tournament is $15 for 18 holes.

For youngsters who play nine holes, the cost is $12 and for younger golfers who play six holes, the cost is $10.

The weekly events begin on June 6 at the Country Club of Sebring.

The June 12th event is at Sebring Golf Club, while the Bluffs in Arcadia will host the June 19th tournament.

The AllState championships will be held at Highlands Ridge North and South courses on June 26-27, while Golf Hammock Country Club will be the site of the July 1st event.

Lake Wales Country Club will host the July 10th tournament, and the Bill Jarrett Match Play tournament will be at River Greens on July 16-17.

Harder Hall will host the July 24th event and Pinecrest Golf Club will be the site of the July 31st event.

Placid Lakes Country Club will host the Aug. 7 tournament and the season wraps up with Tour Championships on Aug. 16-17 at Sun 'N Lake Country Club.

"We know everyone has vacation plans during the summer," said Kesling. "So we're going to take the top seven scores from each player for the final points standings.

"That way if you miss a few events, you still have a chance to win your age group."

Keeping youngsters busy during the summer is a concern for parents and the Sertoma Tour offers exercise at a great rate.

"The Sertoma Junior Tour offers kids a great opportunity to play golf on a different course each week for very little money," said Kesling. "It's a great bargain and we can't thank the other courses enough for their support."

Sun 'N Lake is also offering junior clinics thoughout the summer.

"Junior golfers are the members of tomorrow and helping them improve their games is important," said Kesling. "We're looking forward to making this the best summer yet."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT