Playing golf is fun. Sometimes frustrating, but fun nonetheless.
Still, it is a game that millennials have shied away from. The PGA is aiming to change that trend, and get kids back out onto the links again.
With that in mind, the Minnesota PGA (Professional Golfers Association of America) in conjunction with Superior National at Lutsen is offering a day to introduce kids in grades K-12 at I.S.D. 166 to the grand game of golf.
Superior National business manager and head golf professional Heath Ekstrom and Kathy Swanson, director of player development with the Minnesota PGA will lead the 35- to 45-minute sessions on March 22.
And Ekstrom promises the kids will be entertained.
“There will be a pink hippopotamus with a hole in it that kids will get to chip shots at, and (over) a 10-foot-tall gorilla with several holes to aim at. I will wear a Velcro suit and kids can aim shots at me. If they hit me the ball will stick to the suit. It should be a pretty entertaining day for the kids,” Ekstrom said.
“We at the PGA of America are working hard to introduce golf to kids,” Ekstrom said. “Like many other things, kids are the future, and we need them to be exposed to the game. It will be a fun day of learning and just getting golf in front of as many kids as possible. For some, they’ve probably never seen golf or hit a ball. It’s a great life long sport that you can play to the end of life. Golf teaches many lessons, but also personal attributes like honesty, integrity, social skills and a healthy active lifestyle.
“The Minnesota PGA has been leading the charge in getting kids and teenagers into golf and the life lessons it teaches us,” Ekstrom said.
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