My Golf Source
Attention Golf Enthusiasts! Level up your golf game with hosts Darren Penquite and Noah Horstman, PGA as they keep you up to date on the latest trends, equipment, training aids and more. Learn tips and tricks from PGA Professionals to lower your score and grow your love for the game of golf.
My Golf Source
Nurturing Future Champions in Golf
The episode discusses junior golf, emphasizing the importance of community and resilience in maintaining youth engagement in the sport. With insights from Jessica Young on US Kids Local Tours, we explore accessible programs and the unique challenges faced by young golf enthusiasts.
• Discussion on current weather impacts on golf courses
• Bear Creek Golf Course and other local facilities coping with challenges
• Highlights from the TGL and Waste Management Phoenix Open
• Importance of growing junior golf programs in tough conditions
• Jessica Young's role in the US Kids Local Tour
• Barriers to entry for youth participation in golf
• Emphasizing the need for multi-sport participation
• Focus on creating an inviting atmosphere for young golfers
• Preparing for next week's guest and continuing discussions on golf in various formats
Welcome to the MyGolfSource podcast. Welcome to episode three of the MyGolfSource podcast. I'm Darren and I'm Noah.
Speaker 2:What's going on in your world, man? I'm looking outside this window right now and it is coming down. Dumping Snowed Tons of it.
Speaker 1:The weatherman said it was over yesterday.
Speaker 2:I had to put my truck into four-wheel drive this morning. My wife thinks she's going to make it up with her van. I don't think that's happening.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, don't think so. My wife has a two wheel drive on her car and she's been home for four days.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, we had to. We live up on a hillside and we're coming down and I tried going up and I slipped all over the place, put it into four high, got up there. I was like, Kimberly, you're going to be parking down at the country club parking lot. So luckily the gates were open. We left it there for two days straight while we got dumped on.
Speaker 2:Oh no, well, and it's crazy too, because golf industry here, um, not a lot of covered ranges, not a lot of covered areas. Obviously, golf garage is a one of a kind and we did stay up and open 24, seven, but, uh, some of the other courses were not so lucky.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so um, I got a picture sent to me and bear creek golf course. Unfortunately, um, they have top tracer technology. It's the only other covered range in town and their netting and their pole system went down. It's oh man, it's awful they're. They're a great growth of the game facility. I grew up playing golf there, as did ryan kakula, um little nine hole course been just an awesome.
Speaker 1:Tons of improvements over the last couple of years.
Speaker 2:Oh man, it's so good. It's like a great place to learn how to play the game, and then also it's a tough par-3 course to boot.
Speaker 1:And then another nine-hole course. I saw their net in their driving practice facility.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just driving down I-5, I noticed over there at Quail Point that their netting went down and I mean theirs is just more of a hit into a net, but still I mean that's just a snow load. And then driving by Centennial I noticed that like their tent had collapsed in it I haven't had a chance to talk to their staff yet, but just their event tent, so hopefully everybody was okay and nobody's inside. But it's the real deal here right now.
Speaker 1:I hope no, like expensive equipment got damaged.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean seriously. I don't know what they put inside those things. Obviously I don't think it was their cart barn, so hopefully it was all good. You can't golf in this. No, you can't. You know, we're in our conference room right now and I keep hearing drivers being banged over in there. It's pretty awesome. If you look outside, everybody's booked right now.
Speaker 1:It is Everybody's booked right now. It is. It's been busy every day that I've been here recently with all the snow and for the first time ever I had heard about it, but I sat down and watched the TGL last night. Yes, yes, what do you think? You know? At first all the clips I had seen on social media about it, I thought it was kind of an exhibition type you know, golf show, kind of like the Globetrotters and basketball. But it's not. It's a legit game.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, these guys are straight competitive too, aren't they? They are. I mean they're talking trash the whole time while they're in there.
Speaker 1:They're talking trash. We've got PGA Tour players out there, you know, showing what they can do, and it's in that kind of arena, an arena type atmosphere which I think is super cool where when you go out to watch a PGA tour event, it's like you're part of the gallery that walks along with them, or you're stuck in one location and all you get to watch is one hole.
Speaker 2:Well, and on top of that, you've got the greatest show on grass this week with the Waste Management Phoenix Open Right, open, right. I mean, have you been to that one? I have not, but you you have. We used to live down there. So, um, there was a golf academy that I used to be one of the directors of their junior development and we would go there and the kids could actually caddy in the practice rounds. It was the coolest thing and they would carry a tour player's bag and then the tour player would let them chip and putt with them around the green. So, um, everyone knows about it, primarily because the party right. So hole 16, I mean, it's incredible. Par three, uh, should have seen what it looked like 20 years ago, right, and now it's a football stadium full on, like triple decker. Uh, it's just the party scene.
Speaker 2:So, uh, my wife and I were there little story here, uh and our oldest daughter was born in Scottsdale hospital, so not too far from TPC Scottsdale, and, um, it was the first year she was there and I was so excited to take her out and let her see Tiger woods. He was coming off the chipping yips. And I ran because I saw him short side himself on a par three. I'm like, oh man, we get to see him chip, let's see how he does. And I mean, the guy hits a flop to two feet. He had it all, I mean.
Speaker 2:And then you know it's practice round. So we're, we're watching a few more shots and all of a sudden, uh, uh, there is this is a little personal, but there's a smell. So, but there's a smell. What? Yeah, there's a smell. I'm like looking at my daughter, I'm like, no, you didn't Not right, and we're watching Tiger Woods right now. So we're asking everybody like where's the nearest changing station? And they don't have them. We're like, well, isn't this like a potty? Yeah, right, nope, nope, nope. So we go under hole 16 and we'll just say that there was a little area there that we christened. Thank you very much.
Speaker 1:People sitting up in the stands are looking at their neighbor like what did you do?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you know. You know this might be a perfect time to talk about. You know where we're going with this podcast and with our junior program down in Arizona. We're going to be talking a lot about junior golf today.
Speaker 1:All right, and no better person to join us than Jessica Young.
Speaker 3:Hey guys, How's it going?
Speaker 1:Good Welcome. Thanks for joining us.
Speaker 3:Yeah, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, jessica. So you spent a lot of time with the US Kids Local Tour that was started last year and you've been putting a lot of those events together.
Speaker 3:You want to tell us a little bit about that? Yeah, so the US Kids Tour events have been awesome. They've been super fun to see kids from six years old to 18 playing out there playing tees that fit their game, and it's just really exciting because US Kids is something that I think anybody could play in. It doesn't really matter what your level is. They make it fun. So I really enjoyed the experience.
Speaker 1:I was shocked at the level of competitiveness. In this I mean my son's 13. He's playing in the 13-14 age group and these guys are hitting further back than the men's tees on those courses Definitely, and they were pretty competitive this year.
Speaker 2:Well, and don't you think that's kind of been one of the struggles too, is being able to find golf courses long enough.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's been a huge struggle because I've been wanting to like incorporate the nine hole courses, the local nine hole courses, but that's tough to get them to play all the way back there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely Well, you've done a great job with it. Obviously, it's just one of the many elements that you do to grow the game of golf and the tournament side of it's fun. And can you talk about, like the US Kids Local Tour so far that you've seen? Because you know, from my perspective it's just another segue and it's not necessarily about the competition so much because they allow caddies. So tell us a little bit about, from your perspective, what you've seen. And maybe growing up, because you're a great junior golfer, you played D1 golf, you were at Oregon State and obviously down in Texas. But what do you like about this versus maybe the model of, even not to say, oregon Golf Association isn't great because it's phenomenal, but it's a little different, right?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I like this because it's phenomenal, but it's a little different, right. Yeah, um, I like this because it is something that you know, I feel like really separates, like the age of the golfers and what different yardages they play at Um, and like when you're in OGA. Like you know, the first couple of times that I played in a junior golf tournament, it was really long for me, I was struggling, but I'd also been playing golf for a year, right, and I feel like kids can come from like not playing at all or hardly playing in any event, and I had some girls had been playing golf for two weeks and their first tournament was a US kids event and they loved it.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. What do you think they loved about it? Was it just like you running it? Cause I mean, it's hard not to love it when you're there.
Speaker 3:No, I felt like it was because it is such an inviting atmosphere and it's there's not pressure. It's just like you can go out and learn the game of golf and you don't have parents that are getting on the kids and it's like the kids have a chance to learn. We really try to not, you know, we harp on the rules to show them the rules, but we don't sit there and make it so that it's all about the rules, like they have time to learn.
Speaker 1:It teaches integrity. Yeah, and it's. I mean, I may be kind of overstepping a little bit by saying this, but when I go online to book a US kids tour for my son, there are hundreds of chapters across the US. Hundreds, yeah, and the Nationals is held Pinehurst, pinehurst.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well and that's the thing I was going to segue into is that it's a local tour that gives you the opportunity to play at a global level, Right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, cause it's it. It is all over the world.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I grew up in a small town on the coast and I was driving at the minimum four hours to play in a tournament. It was more like six to eight just to play in a tournament and you know the the then money comes into it, you know, in time, and getting someone to take you up there when you can't drive, there's all sorts of things.
Speaker 2:So talk about barriers to entry.
Speaker 1:So almost anywhere in the US has a local tour.
Speaker 2:Yeah, at this point all of the states, I believe, have something, and Oregon actually has three tours now.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I mean Willamette, the southwest Oregon and the central Oregon and the Southwest Oregon and the Central Oregon and the Central Oregon.
Speaker 2:So I guess two years ago it split off and it was just the Southwest Oregon and, like the Willamette Valley, portland chapter, and then they added this Central Oregon, which is phenomenal, I think at the beginning it's tough, though, right, jessica? Because we're trying to build this tour into something bigger and better, and so we're able to pull from Northern California as well, and I don't think too many people know that because it says Southwest Oregon. So you can actually cross over state lines when you're playing in these, and I think that's another unique thing. So there's definitely some very black and white structure to it, but there's also a lot of opportunity to run it the way you want to, and I think that's really nice.
Speaker 1:You can sign your kids up for multiple tours too. I know people have signed up for the Southwest Oregon and the Willamette.
Speaker 2:Yeah, jessica, you were talking about that a little bit, um, you've been on site at every event, obviously, um, and that people were starting to come down a little bit more from the potential of even earning points just because our tour wasn't as busy yet. But I think that's about to change with some of the junior golf development that's coming up, and you are our junior golf director at West Coast Golf Academy. You've been teaching golf since 2019 at this point, and you are a, I guess, and at least were the only female PGA coach in Southern Oregon for about five years. So I mean, that's a huge opportunity in itself, and so tell us a little bit about you. Know your role as a junior golf director and like the programs you enjoy teaching the most.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I, before I was a golf instructor, I was a teacher and that's where I found my love for kids. So that's kind of how teaching junior golf really started because I love golf, played golf in college and then went to college to be a teacher. So you kind of merge them together and get something that's really fun to do every day.
Speaker 1:What age do you find kids starting to get involved in golf?
Speaker 3:The youngest student that I'm teaching right now is three. The youngest I've ever taught was two. How long were those lessons? They were the two-year-olds were an hour, but that was because we were focusing on also learning sign language, because I have my master's degree in special ed specializing in autism and this little boy was autistic, so we were kind of doing a couple of things at one time. But right now my youngest student is three. She started because she was watching her brother in my little link stars class and then wanted to join and that's honestly three to five year old. I love teaching everybody, but three to five year olds are a whole nother ball game out there and it's pretty fun to watch them swing a club and you know, you see that pure joy when they finally get it do you ever come across a kid who comes in who's never touched a golf club before they pick it up?
Speaker 1:and they, just they have the effect yeah, and it's cool.
Speaker 3:It's super, super cool to watch. I think, watching kids swing a golf club, adults can learn a lot because they don't have fear that is true yeah, well and if you've ever watched Jessica teach, she puts the fun in fundamentals, to say the least.
Speaker 2:Right, and on top of that, like this program and when we've sat down and looked at player development as a whole, I mean there's a passion that you have and it's so far beyond what I've seen with these younger kids, not just girls, because you're, because you're, you know, you're a girl coach, you know and you focused on that, but you're definitely spreading your wings and growing the game at a much bigger level than you probably even imagined. And I mean the little link stars class is turning into a secondary class and then even a third because you have kind of your private class, and then these other ones, because everyone wants it now, because they're realizing how awesome it is and it's not just babysitting, like these kids are actually learning how to play golf but also having fun. They don't even know that they're learning to play golf half the time. They're just like I play golf, yeah.
Speaker 3:Awesome yeah.
Speaker 2:So tell us a little bit about what you're most excited for moving into this season, Cause we've had a lot of conversation about PGA junior league, now LPGA girls golf camps, Like I mean you name it right and we're going to try to move, move the needle.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm really excited because I, with our junior player development courses that we have coming out this year, I'm excited because I feel like there is truly a class for every kid. Yes, and it doesn't, it's just I'm excited for it. I have several LPGA girls golf classes. We have lots of different PGA junior league classes to offer for all different ages, facilities, all sorts of things, and being a kid that didn't have golf things like that around, I mean it's pretty exciting.
Speaker 2:So let's talk about specialization in sport. Obviously, as a director of junior golf, like you're noticing, probably, that these kids are trying to play golf more because parents are getting involved, saying I want my kid to golf instead of play basketball and football and run and jump and just whatever they need to do, and so you know we have somebody here that helps with that. But like what, what is it from your perspective that you're noticing?
Speaker 3:One. You have to understand that you're a little bit at a loss of control. I would like kids to play three sports if I could. If I could have them play three sports or more.
Speaker 3:I would totally do it, um, but there's not, I can't make them right, and so that's what's really cool about our facility we have someone that focuses on your movements and working out and doing all sorts of things that your body needs that you would get from other sports. Then we also have different classes that you can take, so you don't have to just focus on one thing. It's we make it so that it's all sorts of all different games. Right, you're working on your full swing, but then you can also go out and play and we're kind of breaking it up. We have fitness courses, so it's like we really could kind of make shift our own three sport thing here.
Speaker 2:Well, and we do a little bit, and I think, at the end of the day, I haven't shared this with you yet, but I'm still looking for a place for that basketball hoop.
Speaker 3:I agree.
Speaker 2:I think that would be amazing and every ball in the book needs to be at Golf Garage, which is what our closet's really for to have that football, the basketball, go dribble, go do this, you know, play a little bit, but still like being able to throw something. And those fine motor skills right, obviously, your degree in childhood development, you know, you're. I mean, I remember the first time we went to a school and there was these little girls and they were probably four or five and instead of just focusing on, hey, we're going to learn posture and we're going to do these things today, you literally threw the ball back and forth and said, hey, let's go get the green ball, let's get the red ball. And I mean you were like teaching them really important things above and beyond golf. And then at the end you're like, hey, we're golfers now and here's a ball marker and, and then they come back. It was like it was really cool, that gift that you have to be able to share with the youth.
Speaker 1:And, as as a parent, there's that humbling, yet you know prideful moment you have when your son's been golfing for a few years. You take him out to the course and he beats you for the first time.
Speaker 2:Yes, tell me this story now. Why did I not hear? Did I hear about this?
Speaker 1:I don't know. I think we were playing Stone Ridge and I shot an 88 and Toby shot an 82. Not only did he beat me, he destroyed me on a day that I thought I played well.
Speaker 2:Wow, wow. I guess I'm going to have to go get him a trophy.
Speaker 1:I didn't have the excuse of oh, I was just having a bad day because I played well.
Speaker 3:We need that. I beat my dad trophy.
Speaker 2:I know Right We'll get him a shirt that he has to wear on father's day, and I was.
Speaker 1:I was beating him solidly and like I on the front nine and he came back to just clean my clock in the back nine.
Speaker 2:Good deal. Well, that's got to be a good feeling, in a way like that your son can do that. Now, his goal is never to let you win, probably.
Speaker 1:Well, and now his goal is to never let me go play another game of golf without him. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:I love that. Jessica, you coached college golf and that's when we started meeting. You were the assistant coach, um, and I would love to hear a little bit of your take, um. I know you're not currently coaching it, but you know some advice for our viewers, um, on what it really does take to play division one golf, and then, on top of that side, question what it takes while you're in school to make the traveling team, because you weren't only playing Division I golf, you were playing in every tournament.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So my favorite thing to do is just kind of run through a day and you know we'd wake up, we'd have weights at six, weights would go until about 7, 730, and then classes would start and you'd have classes from eight to noon until about 7, 730, and then classes would start and you'd have classes from 8 to noon. And our furthest golf course that we practiced at was about an hour and 15 minutes away. Our closest one was about 30 minutes away, so at that point in time practice would start at 2. So from noon to 2, you had to get there right, hopefully, eat lunch, get there and you had to be ready.
Speaker 3:And I remember the very first time we weren't ready at 2 pm, which meant shoes on, bags out, you're on the putting ring. Putting Coach met us at 530 the next morning at the track and let me tell you it wasn't fun. So you had practice until about six and then you had to go to study hall as soon as you got done with practice and you'd be at study hall until 9 pm and then you'd go home and you'd finish whatever homework you didn't get done, have dinner, go to bed and do it all over again.
Speaker 3:Uh and that was just a normal day, professor, for keeping you late yeah so, but then the travel was a whole nother thing because I mean, you were, had, I had girls on my team that would practice while, or they would like study their notes. They had them on their click gear and the little hubby thing and they would be studying their notes during our practice round because they would have a big test they had to take when we got back, um, and it was coached, gave me tests on the airplane, uh, all sorts of things You've never stopped.
Speaker 1:So that differs a lot than what a lot of coaches will teach you at the higher level about getting mentally prepared and having your head in the game, not elsewhere, right?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, coach didn't really like that they studied.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, no no, from my experience as well, it's a different ball game once you get to the level, and I would just say that you hit the nail on the head, jessica. I still remember taking a test at a basketball camp that we were staying at before conference championships and it is so difficult to compete. Well, when you're thinking about, I have to pass this test to get like an A in the class, otherwise I could fail it because they're weighted so high. So it's funny. When you say all that stuff, I'm like, hmm, would I have wanted to be a division one golfer if I would have known all that, or would it have motivated me?
Speaker 2:But, like for you, your personality trait, you're like that's cool, bring it on, game on, I'm gonna be. You know, I'm gonna go rock this and I'm gonna go win golf tournaments, so it's awesome. So advice, wise, um, for the younger aspiring player right, they always think about well, I want to be on tour, and then they skip the step of what it's really like to play in college, and it does give you a sense of travel and the time commitments, but it's not just about golf. So so what do you think would be a little tidbit that you'd like to give to those coming up.
Speaker 3:I mean, my biggest thing is one, before you make that decision if it's something you want to do, uh it's, do you really love it? You know, I had a moment in time where I wasn't necessarily playing for me and it made it really tough. Um, let me tell you, when I started playing for me, it was a lot better, but it is one of those things that it's you have to want it, you have to want to be exhausted, you have to want to work your tail off, because everybody there wants the same thing that you want and they don't care. They're going to get there, they're going to be better than you. So it's something where you know you have to want to devote your life to golf and in order to take it to that next level. Otherwise it's not enjoyable.
Speaker 1:Two, very deep and personal questions. Are you ready? Yeah, what's your favorite golf course you've ever played?
Speaker 3:That's so tough.
Speaker 2:Well, I know where you're about to go play.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, and I played that one. Where's that? Pebble Beach in March.
Speaker 1:Chee Next year. You guys are taking me there.
Speaker 2:Well, you got to win the drawing, like Jessica did. Okay, taylormade's taking her down, all right.
Speaker 3:Game on. I'm really excited. I've been trying to play Pebble Beach on the sim at least once a week to get ready for it. But honestly, Bend Country Club is my favorite because that's where I shot my lowest score and I felt like I tore that golf course up, especially after the first day I played it, when I five putted that par three. That's three tiers. I can't remember what number it is, but that one was tough.
Speaker 2:What was that score again when I five putted? No, yeah, your lowest score there.
Speaker 3:Oh, I was like five put it was a 74 um. No, I shot 68 and it was on the second 18 holes of the championship of the oregon amateur she can ball, wow yeah all right.
Speaker 1:Last question what's your favorite food?
Speaker 2:tacos, taco, tuesday. There it is, come on. Well, darren, we have. I mean, this junior golf thing is phenomenal. First, of all, it is Absolutely and what Jessica's bringing to the table is crazy. She's actually about to start teaching a class, she's got her LPGA class and then she's got some lessons the rest of the afternoon, because Golf Garage allows you to do that 24-7.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:So we have another guest coming up this next, uh, next week. Yeah, as a matter of fact, uh, jermaine curse, who was the wide receiving. Well, he, he basically got the Seahawks with the game winning catch to the super bowl and his super bowl winning wide receiver, and he also owns an indoor golf facility In fact, two up in Seattle, tacoma area and he's a Super Bowl winning wide receiver and he also owns an indoor golf facility in fact, two up in Seattle, Tacoma area and he's going to be on with us next week.
Speaker 1:Excellent, excellent. While we're on the topic of indoor golf, getting back to the TGL, how has that and how is it do you anticipate going to affect the indoor golf industry?
Speaker 2:Well, listen, I do not have real grass as my mats. That's number one. I will never do that either, so please don't ask for it. I don't have a farm out back or real sand indoors. Yeah, you know what. You know what Jermaine does, though. He's got sand indoors. I'm curious to see how messy it gets, because every place I've been to, it's an awesome time to have an indoor facility.
Speaker 2:I said this once before. There's more rounds of golf being played indoors now than outdoors and it's showing not just because of weather but it's because of time. So if you can play Pebble Beach, like Jessica has done every week, and you don't have to pay $600 to do it, or if it's that once in a lifetime trip to do it, why not prepare to play it? So you know how the college team SOU that I coach, we prepared just like that for a tournament up in Washington. Without the Sims we probably would have finished sixth or seventh. We finished third because they knew what the dogleg carry distances were and they knew the uphill slopes. It was incredible.
Speaker 1:And they knew where the trees were in the bunkers and everything is light art.
Speaker 2:It's exactly what it is. We actually have the local country club now on ours. Rogue Valley country club is now on GS pro software, which is one of them that we use here at golf garage.
Speaker 1:Very cool. Yes, sir, I'm excited. Thank you, jessica, for joining us.
Speaker 3:Thank you guys for having me. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Jessica, and next week Jermaine cares All right. Thanks for joining us on episode three of the my Golf Shorts podcast. We'll see you next week.
