The Troon program also dovetails with the PGA of America's
efforts to encourage new players,
such as Get Golf Ready, Kids Play
Free and PGA Family Courses.
“Today’s world has really become
family centric, with activities
based on what mom and dad
want to do to have fun,” says Ron
Stepanek, Director of Player Development for PGA of America. “Our
vision is for every course to have
kids play free with a paying adult,
so seeing Troon implement this
program was music to our ears.”
When The Golf Club at Lansdowne, in Lansdowne, Vir., went
private in 2005, they added an
18-hole championship course
and a family-friendly nine-holer.
Both were designed by Greg Norman, and the par- 32 short course
earned the moniker the "Shark-bite Course."
The theme and layout were tailor
made for getting juniors involved.
“We created a Shark Club that
gives points for playing or practic-
ing, and we branded everything
from flagsticks and bag tags to
hats with their own logo,” says
Ryan Wilson, club manager. “With
five sets of tees as short as 870
yards or as long as 2,300, Shark-
bite allows you to get around in an
hour, but it can play hard, too. We
try to make it fun, and condition it
well enough that it feels first class.”
The club also expanded Troon
Bitten by the Golf Bug
Family Golf to unlimited free
junior play with a paying adult
all day. “Our basic principle with
juniors is that we want them to
make their first bogey, par and
birdie here at Lansdowne, and
graduate to full-length courses.
The focus is really on fun and
camaraderie,” Wilson says.
In 2006, Lake of Isles in North
Stonington, Conn., introduced
a junior scholarship program
through its Hank Haney Golf
Academy. Each April, eight junior
boys and girls (ages 11 to 17) are
selected based on written applications, skills tests and interviews.
Scholarship holders receive
weekly instruction with Derek
Hooper, director of instruction,
from May through September, as
well as complimentary access to
the North Course, practice facilities, a golf bag, polo shirt, jacket,
cap and a dozen balls.
“When we started the program,
our goal was to find kids who were
passionate about the game and
to improve their opportunities to
access the facilities,” Hooper says.
Learning to Succeed
“To date, 55 juniors have partici-
pated and six have earned college
scholarships.”
Mike Masso, currently a walk-
on sophomore on the University
of Connecticut golf team, spent
two years as a scholarship student
before graduating to Lake of Isles’
high-performance program. “For
me, the programs changed golf
from a hobby into something I
really thrived at,” he says. “The
added push of being watched
every week and following our stats
showed what I needed to improve.
And as with most things, the bet-
ter you do, the more fun you have.”
During the 1990s and 2000s, a
trend toward higher fees and
more difficult courses often pre-
sented a challenge in attracting
casual players and their families.
At Troon North Golf Club in
Scottsdale, Ariz., the solution
came in the form of the Monu-
ment Express, which general
manager Mitch Harrell describes
as a course within a course. “We
were looking for ways to soften
up the course so less-experienced
In the Express Lane
