Dalhousie has high hopes for junior program

With snow flurries meandering to the ground Saturday morning in downtown Cape Girardeau, it was a perfect time to talk about golf.

Dalhousie Golf Club announced the formation of a junior golf program that will allow access to one of the country's best private facilities for $250 per year. The student membership, available to children ages 8-18, will include instruction twice a week for 10 weeks, course play and competition.

Assistant professional Scott Roe talked about the details of the program with about two dozen youths on hand at Dalhousie Downtown. Also in attendance for the program's kickoff was Karen Stupples, Dalhousie's LPGA Tour professional.

Stupples, a native of Dover, England, first became involved in golf at age 11. She played 18 holes for the first time at 13 and eventually had a successful amateur career before turning pro in 1998. She was a two-time All-America at Florida State University.

"Junior golf taught me about good habits and practice for life," Stupples said. "It started in an organization just like this."

One of Stupples' contributions to the program is the formation of a junior board, a concept based on the club in which she played as a youth. The "club within a club," she said, should have responsibilities for planning its own events and making rules for juniors. The junior organization would be led by a captain, a leader that "juniors can look up to," she said.

"At my club, juniors were responsible for their own business," Stupples said. "It was not just about playing a game."

The program will include instruction on Tuesdays and Fridays, utilizing Dalhousie's new practice facility. Play on what Golf Digest in its January edition labeled one of the country's top 10 new private courses will follow on those days. Rules and etiquette also will be taught and tested. Student members can earn more playing privileges based on playing ability and knowledge of the rules. Competition may eventually include a traveling team as well as in-house events.

"Golf is a game of reward," said Gary Squires, a former Southeast coach who will be assisting with the junior program. "I think it's a good thing when kids can do something and know deep down inside they've earned it."

Officials at Dalhousie someday would like to provide that feeling to around 100 area youths. For the first year, they would like to see 25 to 30 participants in the program, which is $50 per child for Dalhousie club members.

"If you can get one kid away from the video screen to take a lesson, that's something that stays with them for life," said Cord Dombrowski, Dalhousie's managing member. "That's how it started for Karen and now she's on the LPGA Tour. Why can't that happen for someone from Southeast Missouri? We have the facility, expert professional advice and great teachers."

The sport itself can teach lessons -- integrity, humility -- that extend beyond the course.

"Not everyone will go on the tour or be highly successful in golf," Stupples said. "But this will open doors in life."