By Katie Dickens
Intern
More than 200 children ages 7-15 braved the 90-degree heat at the annual Drive, Chip & Putt competition at Country Club of Landfall today, in what local golf pros said was a testament to the growth of local junior golf.
“This competition has been great for youth golf, which really has grown in the area,” said Sara Bush, head golf professional at Landfall. “For many of these kids, this is their first experience holding a club and competing. We try to shape their first experience like this into something fun and lighthearted.”
The boys and girls competed in separate driving, chipping, and putting events, with the top three for their age groups advancing to the subregionals. The competition teed off at 10 a.m. and continued throughout the day. Over 50 volunteers, many of whom are club members, offered their assistance at the competition alongside local pros.
While the challenge is what is keeping these young players striving to develop their game, Bush said one thing drawing many of these kids into the game is a youth golf movement that features fashion as much as exciting play.
“The role models for junior golfers like Ricky Fowler and Jordan Spieth and many of the girls on the LPGA are endorsed by Puma, Adidas, and Under Armour, all very fashion-forward companies,” Bush said. “These kids want to act and look like their role models. Fashion definitely plays a part in making the kids come back to the course.”
On Thursday, these fun fashions were on display as the young golfers took to the course. Neon shirts, matching socks, and trendy belts were among the styles seen on young golfers such as six-year-old Rief Aliah from Wilmington, who donned rainbow and flower-patterned long socks.
“I like these socks because of the cool rainbows,” Rief said, pointing to the decorative patterns on his knee-high socks. Rief, who has been playing golf for about eight months alongside his brother, said his favorite player is Jordan Spieth.
Yet another stylish golfer was the girls 7-9 division’s first-place winner, Ella June, who wore a purple shift dress over white frilly leggings, along with her favorite Jack Nicklaus hat.
Ella said her favorite color on and off the course is gold, adding, “I like to be number one.”
Brothers Cooper and Casey Arnold, ages 8 and 7 respectively, wore color-coordinated, bright outfits as they competed in the tournament for their third year. Both wore head-to-toe Under Armour, complete with neon socks. Their grandfather, Kevin Arnold, said that the boys’ mother works at the University of South Carolina, which has a partnership with the athletic wear company.
“Mom gets them hooked up. She helps them get their outfits together,” he said.
See more photos here:
Photos by Katie Dickens.
[…] See the full Lumina News story with photos at here. […]