Junior golf course opens

Kevin Ahlgren, Shell City, adjusts the grip of his daughter on her golf club during the grand opening activities for the city's Junior Golf Course and Learning Facility at the Frank E. Peters Municipal Golf Course Sunday afternoon. Ahlgren is one of several area golfers who volunteered their time Sunday to help with a kids golf clinic.

It is almost never too hot for a dedicated golfer to hit the links and the 40 area kids who attended the grand opening of the city's new Junior Golf Course and Learning Facility at the Frank E. Peters Municipal Golf Course Sunday afternoon took the first step to joining their ranks.

The five-hole course, located on the driving range, was largely paid for with money raised by local Wal-Mart associates over the last year and city workers built the course. When the junior course is open for play the driving range will be closed.

The goal of the project is to allow area kids to learn to play golf at no charge.

When the course is open, the city will have golf clubs and balls to loan to kids to play the course.

Carol Branham, park and recreation director, said that they have had hundreds of clubs and thousands of ball donated to the project so far.

In addition to building a course for area youth to learn on, the project also includes a new concrete tee area that is useable from the city's handicapped accessible golf cart and can be reached via a concrete walk from the clubhouse.

"I think this is just fabulous. It's the start of something big that's going to grow and grow," Buddy Butterfield, Overland Park, Kan. golf pro said.

Butterfield, who holds clinics for physically-challenged golfers in the Kansas City area, was in Nevada Sunday to hold an adaptive golf clinic for area people with various disabilities wanting to learn to play golf.

As more people learn about this facility, it will get more use, Butterfield said.

Brian Leonard, Nevada mayor and Nevada High School golf coach told the crowd of young golfers and their parents and grandparents that he felt this facility would benefit many people.

Prospective golfers who attended the grand opening were given a golf club that was fitted to their height by Dan Davis, golf course manager, and Ron Filipowicz, Kansas City golf pro.

"We want everyone to have one club that is properly fitted," Davis said.

If they already have clubs you can compare them to this one to see if they need to be adjusted, Davis said.

When each golfer was fitted with a club Filipowicz, Davis, Buddy Butterfield, and several area golfers gave each child individual instruction on gripping and swinging a golf club, then sent them out on the course to play golf.

"I think there should be some special gratitude for what Dan has done," Butterfield said.