If Bath Golf Club professional Leon Oliver has his say, the Bath-area youth will be served very well this summer.

In an effort to expand the Junior Program, Oliver has an ambitious plan for golfers ages 6 and up.

A “Little Tykes” free clinic for golfers 6-and-under will be held June 20, July 12 and 19 and Aug. 2 and 16 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. each day.

A “Pee Wee League” for those ages 7-11 will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., starting on June 24.

A “Major League” for players 12-and-over is set to be held Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., beginning on June 23.

“I want them to learn the game of a lifetime,” said Oliver, Clubhouse Manager and Head Golf Professional. “We’ll focus on basic fundamentals, rules and etiquette.”

The clinics are free to Bath Golf Club members, while non-members will pay $100 for the “Pee Wee” and “Major” programs.

Oliver will use The PGA Sports Academy’s “Sport Guide’asaareferencedrawing on such topics as fun in the sun, safety, taking care of the golf course, being a good sport, equipment, etc.

“I want to build the junior program up,” said Oliver, also the Morse High School varsity coach.

“I want to do something fun with them. We might just putt … or might have the kids chipping. I just want to introduce the younger ones to the game. With those 7-11, I want to introduce them to the basic fundamentals of the games like rules and etiquette.”

“I also want to have a golf tournament at the end of the year. We’ll also have contests, like drive, chip and putt in each division.”

Also planned are a few practice sessions at the Mere Creek Golf Club driving facility in Brunswick, which Harris Golf, Bath Golf Club owners, also maintain.

With every golf club there are worries about an aging membership and Oliver wants to give the Bath-area youth a chance to become the future.

Youth is the future

“We’re not replacing our older golfers,” said Oliver. “Not anymore we’re not. When I was down in Florida I had 130 kids in my program.”

Oliver wants the parents to know these clinics won’t be just about golf. “We’ll come up with some fun things that might not even pertain to golf. Maybe a water balloon fight. We’ll be working hard at golf and maybe then we’ll have some ice cream.

“We going to be working toward a goal, but we also want them to have some fun after. Maybe one day I’ll have them come in bathing suits. We’ll putt and chip and then maybe do a little water slide.”

Interested families can call the BGC at 442-8411 or email [email protected]