Young golfers get instruction

Golf is said to be a lifelong sport and it's hard to do something for a lifetime if you don't start early in life.

Perhaps that is the thought behind sending one's child the Eagle Bend Junior Golf Academy.

This year about 50 kids, 30 of whom were locals, attended the camp, which had a different structure than year's past. Rather than being held once or twice a week for six weeks, the academy was broken down into three separate three-day camps.

Each camp had a maximum capacity of about 30 kids, and participants were allowed to attend as many weeks' worth of camps as they wanted to. About 50 young golfers attended multiple weeks of camps.

"I think they get better instruction if they do it three days in a row rather than just one each week," said Dan Shull, who headed up the camps this year and co-taught last year's camps. "It was better instruction this way and the retention was much better."

The camps were held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. The first day of instruction Shull, as well as his assistants Kyle Parker, Marcus Erickson, Jeff Noe and Cody Rowe, spent two hours working with the kids on their short game, full swing and putting using three stations that were rotated through on a 40-minute basis. After a lunch break, the instructors took the young golfers out on the Lake Nine to play on the actual golf course.

"One of the areas I saw the biggest improvement on was the full swing," Shull said. "A lot of the kids went from not hitting the ball to hitting the ball, which was nice. They also gained a lot of knowledge of how to handle themselves on the course because when we were out there they were around other people and they couldn't just go wherever they wanted and do whatever they wanted."

On the second day the camp was started with course-play and after lunch skills were taught, including bunker work, chipping and putting. The final day of the camps, rules and etiquette of golf were gone over and the kids worked on more skills in the three stations. Following lunch, the camp was concluded with a putting contest and a bunker contest.

"I want them to learn the proper way to have fun while they are playing as far as etiquette and rules. I also want them to work on their skills, especially their swing," Shull said. "I tried to keep it simple because it's easier to retain that way."

Aiding in keeping the kids' focus was the fun format of the academy.

"I think one of the main things was that they weren't stuck in any one section for more than 40 to 45 minutes," Shull said. "That helped keep it interesting. We also played a scramble golf tournament, which added some excitement for them. They also had fun with the competitions that we had them do."

Shull also credits his fellow teachers for keeping the kids engaged.

"The instructors are pretty animated. I think it's important that the coaches were that way because you can lose kids pretty quick if you're not entertaining them in some fashion," Shull said.

Although the kids were having fun at the camp, it provided them with valuable experience as well, especially on tough aspects of the game.

"The most difficult was hitting out of the sand, but they all started to do better with that because they were doing it. That is something that doesn't get practiced too much," Shull said.

After co-teaching the camps with Tom Seaward last summer, Shull returned this year to run them himself. He said that this year's camp brought back 20 to 30 kids that had previously been enrolled in the academy.

"You can see them getting better. From the aspect of them getting better, they were a lot more ready to be on the course and they were able to manage being on the course much better," Shull said of the returnees.

Shull, a native of Plains, has taught golf lessons in various locations around the country and at all age levels. However, teaching the youngsters is a favorite for him.

"Kids are typically open to ideas and suggestions and they are willing to try what you tell them. They want to get better," Shull said. "For the most part, the hardest part is just keeping them interested. As long as you keep it fun and not too technical, they do well."

In fact, Shull said that kids are often better at picking up the sport than adults.

"I've taught people golf at a later point in their life and they just weren't as open to the instruction as the kids," Shull said. "Kids are just more open to trying new things. Also, kids don't have any bad (golf) habits yet and they are just better with change."

Also better with change was this year's academy's format, according Shull.

"We had a lot of really good feedback from the parents about the new format," Shull said. "I think as far as scheduling, it was easier for parents to get them there three days in a row rather than having to schedule around it once a week all summer. Also, I think the kids got more out of it due to the length of each day and the fact that it was consecutive days. The kids also got to know one another much better and built relationships that way."

The young golfers have one remaining opportunity to compete with one another. The Flathead Valley Junior Golf Championship will be held at Eagle Bend Golf Club on Aug. 19.