Junior Golfers Tee it Up for Summer
By Johnny McDonald

For 1,000 youngsters, the summer months mean it's time to tee it up for 12 junior golf tournaments. This will be the signal for the 54th year of Junior Golf, the nation's finest. Maybe another Tiger Woods (who began here at age 7), Phil Mickelson or Billy Casper might emerge but that's not the purpose, says golf historian Norrie West, of Santee. "The intention is just to introduce them and foster enthusiasm for the game of golf," said West, who is approaching 90.

The one-time executive director of the Andy Williams/ San Diego Open has written three historical books on the game, one on the 100 years of golf in San Diego and the other two on the junior programs. "At the urging of Al Abrego (Presidio Hills golf course operator), John Brown started junior golf in 1952 with a big assist from Mrs. Lou Smith," West said. "Fifty kids came out at Stardust (now River Run). Prior to this they had to travel to Los Angeles in order to play." He said this is the only one like it in the world.

Torrey Pines and Balboa Park were the two big ones for years. They also will play at Mission Bay, Presidio Hills and Singing Hills. Although he is still high on this summer activity, he believes 1,000 youngsters are too many. He feels it works better with 600 to 700. "It's not an instructional thing, although Abrego did have a tiny tots program to teach the real young the basic swing," said West, who spent 28 years with the program. "Membership then was only $3 a year. "It's not an alternative from baseball or soccer. Most who got into it were pretty sold on golf. We tried to encourage girls participation but it's still 4 to 1 boys. "Brownie kept it going when it wasn't financially sound. Cost of junior golf is about 20 times what it used to be." The young golfers have their own clubs, not borrowed or rented. There is also a certain camaraderie and some have retained friendships for many years. Parents don't just drop off the players but become involved as foursome scorers. Encompassing the program will be even greater competition with the Junior World, now into its 39th year. This will entice entries from Australia, Japan, China, Taiwan, South Africa, Scotland, France and South America. West said, however, that in some of these countries, golf is just for the wealthy and kids don't get a chance to get out on a course.