Golf is synonymous with the Southwest, however it is not only adults who are taking advantage of the Valley’s top tees. With golf’s high season quickly approaching, kid-friendly facilities and tours prove pint-sized players can make par like the best of them.
As Arizona prepares to welcome a flurry of professional golfers in the coming weeks, first for the Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson and then the Waste Management Phoenix Open shortly after, golf fans will once again be inspired to take to the greens. Among those motivated by watching the PGA pros will be children from all walks of life who’d like to try their hands at the age-old sport. If your junior is interested in taking a swing at the game, the Valley of the Sun holds no shortage of tees for them to try or kid-friendly facilities anxious to develop their ambitions.
Talking Stick Golf Club, well known for its easy-to-get-to location off of the Loop 101 in Scottsdale, offers up a bevy of options for the club-bearing kid. Calling the club kid-friendly might be a bit of an understatement—it might be more like a paradise for par-seeking kiddies. That’s because in addition to ongoing junior clinics and uber-accommodating instructors, come summertime kids play Talking Stick’s two tracks for free with a paying adult.
Just north up the 101, Wildfire Golf Club located adjacent to the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa, kids play for free after three. When accompanied by a paying adult, kids 15 and under can play until sundown with free rental clubs all year round. In addition, children can receive a free lesson when accompanied by an adult receiving a lesson from a Marriott golf instructor.
When your youngster gets hooked on the game and bitten by the competitive bug, a number of junior tours throughout Arizona provide a safe and fun competitive platform. The Junior Golf Association (JGAA), Junior Golf Association of Arizona Boys Golf Club, LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Organization, The First Tee of Phoenix and the recreation department of the City of Phoenix all offer kids access to the sport while helping to harness budding talent and engage new youth interest.
Whether your junior already has fairway fever or catches it sometime this season, a place to for them to research their interest is never too far away.
To Learn More
To find out more about kids golf in Arizona, check out the following resources:
www.talkingstickgolfclub.com
www.wildfiregolf.com
www.jgaa.org
www.boysgolfclub.org
www.girlsgolfofphoenix.org
www.thefirstteephoenix.org
