Football players in grades seven through 12 who originally had their seasons cancelled by the pandemic (some have since been resumed) have been allowed to play for free at the club on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula whenever there’s an open tee time. Nearly 250 players have taken advantage of the offer, with about 70% sticking with it and many “[falling] in love with the game,” says Director of Golf Jeff Rae.
While much has been lost during the coronavirus pandemic, golf course properties across the country have been inventive in finding ways to turn a bad break into something good. Many properties have been offering free golf to high-school athletes who have lost their sports seasons because of COVID-19. Frequently, these initiatives have been driven by sympathetic former high-school athletes who remember how important their sports were to them as youths.
With Director of Golf Jeff Rae providing the impetus, Escanaba (Mich.) Country Club, located in the Upper Peninsula’s Delta County, is among the properties that has reached out to student-athletes. Since August, a few days after the announcement that the high-school football season had been canceled throughout Michigan, the semi-private property has been offering free golf to the county’s middle- and high-school football players. Even after high-school football was reinstated in September, Escanaba CC continued to offer free rounds through the remainder of the golf season.
Rae, a former football player himself, got the idea to provide the free golf when he was listening to a podcast, and someone made a comment about mental health.
“A light bulb went off. I had something to offer these kids,” he says. “We’re a smaller community with a large number of football players. Players work all off-season to prepare for August. To have something dropped on them like that as children is devastating.
“My biggest concern is the mental state,” he adds. “What sport did I turn to when I was in a mental state? When I was going through challenges, I always turned to golf.”
Before giving away free rounds of golf, however, Rae ran the idea by the club’s Board of Directors in a group text. The entire Board was behind it within minutes.
After posting word about the initiative on Escanaba’s Facebook page, the site had more than 25,000 hits within the first 24 hours. Parents, coaches, and athletic directors got involved, and media outlets covered the story as well.
Football players in grades seven through 12 have been allowed to play at Escanaba CC anytime the tee sheet is open, and about 200 to 250 players have taken advantage of the free golf. The program has been open to six or seven football teams in the county, plus a couple of other nearby schools.
Although about 30% of the football players came for the first couple of weeks, Rae says about 70% have stuck with it. “Many of them have fallen in love with the game,” he says.
About 60% of the kids were new to golf, he adds, and 40% had “at least swung a club before.”
Many of the students also lacked equipment, so Rae put the word out through social media that Escanaba CC was looking for clubs for the aspiring golfers. “Within two days, we had 15 sets of golf clubs in the pro shop,” he says.
At the beginning of the program, Rae met with the football players before they teed off to discuss expectations with them. He educated them on the basic fundamentals of golf, showed them how to fix ball marks and replace divots, and explained how to make a tee time. He told them to drive golf carts where they’re supposed to be driven and taught them about the dress code.
“We’re not super-strict. We prefer collared shirts, but we expect a T-shirt at least,” says Rae.
Some of the players have even shown up in their football jerseys. They also have helped to take care of the golf course, which was established in 1915 and has been rated the No. 1 course in the county for a reader’s choice award for seven of the past nine years.
“As long as people treat our golf course well, we want them here,” Rae says.
With the free rounds for students numbering in the hundreds, Rae has given generously of his time as well. He has offered formal and informal lessons, and students have approached him with questions. “If any kids want instruction, I’ll teach them,” he says.
His office faces the No. 1 tee box, and he will go out and give a five-minute lesson on the golf swing when he sees a group of students on the first tee.
Escanaba CC did not have a junior program this year, but some of the football players and the junior golfers have played together. “Not only do they get to play golf and have something to do, they also get to make some new friends,” says Rae.
His ultimate goal, of course, is for the student-athletes to play golf regularly. Considering the way the program has exceeded expectations—Rae originally thought that maybe 50 or 60 football players might try it—he’s certainly off to a good start.
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