The Mickey Creek Golf Course was alive with young and old golfers alike on Saturday as families gathered for the course’s first ever Family Day event, organized by the Mickey Creek Golf Club Association.
According to Jeanne McTiernan, who has been a member of the association for over a decade, the new event was put on to introduce children and their families to the joys of golf in a relaxed and welcoming environment.
“A lot of golfers are either retired people or parents that work, but we’re trying to encourage that next generation to see that it is a sport and it’s a fun sport,” she said.
The event featured a shotgun style start to the tournament, with each competitor starting at a . . .
different hole, and a variety of games and competitions tailored for different age groups.
Younger children, aged three to 12, participated in friendly contests where everyone received a trophy. For older kids and adults, there were traditional golf challenges such as the longest drive and closest-to-the-pin contests.
McTiernan explained that to make the game a little easier for the children, the organizers set pink pins halfway through the courses to prevent the children from getting discouraged by the long distances.
Apart from the golfing activities, the day included a communal dinner, with options of hamburgers or hot dogs followed by ice cream cake, ensuring a festive end to the day.
The event was not primarily a fundraiser, although a 50/50 raffle was held to raise a little extra money.
“We’re just covering the supper, and for the non-members, it’s covering your golf. We have a 50/50, that we’re going to try to raise a little money on but apart from that, today is really a fun day,” McTiernan explained.
Robin Fequet, who owns the golf course with her husband Rod, expressed her appreciation for the committee’s efforts.
“They help us with quite a few tournaments. Without them, it would be much more difficult,” Fequet said.
“It’s a nice little sense of community too, because everybody on the committee is from around here, and they’re here all the time, so they’re constantly supporting our business.”
The Mickey Creek Golf Club Association hopes to make Family Day an annual tradition, with plans to expand the event in the coming years.
“I’ve hit the target that I wanted with the amount of kids and adults that came,” McTiernan said. “However, next year I’m hoping that we can get more involved and make it a little bigger.”
