Golf courses around St. Albert are welcoming young players this summer as junior camps and programs introduce kids to the game and the values that come with it.
At Sandpiper Golf and Country Club, Blake Stingley, head golf professional and general manager, said their junior camps have been running for three decades.
"These camps have been going on for 30 years," said Stingley. "They have been very successful over the years."
Stingley said he has seen the sport grow since the COVID-19 pandemic, as golf was one of the few sports that people could continue to participate in. He said during this time, he saw many new people try the sport and others return to it.
Jordan Dekens, the general manager at Sturgeon Valley Golf & Country Club, said he has also witnessed golf's popularity increase over the last five years.
"It's a great summer activity for kids," Dekens said. "It gets them outside, it gets them active and it teaches them life lessons on the golf course. They can play with their friends, and they can play with their parents and grandparents. So there aren't too many sports where you can do that, where you can all play as a family."
With golf growing in popularity across the region, Stingley believes it is a great time for kids to start. He also said the sport instills lessons that benefit kids off the course, as well.
"It is fun and exciting, but it also teaches patience and good values," he said.
The four-day camps at Sandpiper Golf and Country Club walk kids through the fundamentals of golf.
Sandpiper instructor Derek Czerwonka said kids of all experience levels are welcome at the camps, and the goal is to make the sport approachable and fun.
"We start from square one," said Czerwonka. "We treat everybody like they've never held a club before. We teach them how to hold it. We teach them what a club does, we teach them how to swing. We teach them how to stretch and be safe. We do all that before they even hit a ball."
Czerwonka said golf gives kids the chance to learn not only athletic skills but important life lessons.
"Golf's more than just about going out to play golf," he said. "You know, you meet people, you have fun. It's a life skill, and I just recommend kids learn it early. It's harder to learn later on in life."
For 10-year-old Joel Halko, the summer golf camps have become a summer tradition.
"It is fun. I have done it since I was four so it is pretty good," said Halko. "I like hitting it far."
He hopes to get a hole-in-one during his camp.
His mom, Courtney Halko, said the camps have been a great way to keep the kids active and learn a skill they can use for the rest of their lives.
"It's a very respectful sport. It's good etiquette, good listening, usually with a good group of people. It creates more patience in kids," she said. "Golf is one of those things that you'll (play) until you're in your 80s, so it's one of those amazing life skills."
With more families turning to golf as a way to spend time together and stay active, local courses say they are ready to welcome even more young players to the game.
"It is something they can do their whole lives, and it is good to get an early start," said Stingley. "There is no better place to spend your summer than out on the golf course in the sunshine."
