The Bowen Island Golf Club is continuing its push to offer kids barrier-free entry into the sport with a new support initiative.
Since 2020, tee times, club rentals and more have been offered for free to the island’s junior golfers. This was one of the first orders of business for then-incoming general manager Les Meszaros – along with making sure the course was pet friendly.
“We have this tremendous jewel of a golf course, and it was important to me that this was a place for kids so they wouldn’t have to leave the island. They could come and play at whatever highest level they want to achieve,” says Meszaros.
One of the activities the course runs is the First Tee program, a six-week development camp for kids to learn not only the basics of golf, but also to promote healthy lifestyles and character development. Thanks to local support, First Tee is also offered for free to Bowen kids.
Now, another avenue of supporting youth golf – the Bowen Island Junior Golf Support Program – is set to launch in the coming weeks. The course will become one of just two in the country to offer this opportunity, which allows donors to receive tax donation receipts.
“The reason that we wanted to create a Junior Support Fund – and we worked with Golf Canada on this for over two years to put it in place – is that we want the kids to be able to continue to play for free here,” says Meszaros. “The community hopefully will support that initiative… and that really goes a long way toward keeping the golf course as available as we can for the kids. We’re really proud to launch that program, and we hope that it continues to succeed as we go along.”
The initiative comes at a time when kids golf participation is booming on the island. Meszaros says in 2020 there were less than 100 rounds of youth golf being played at the course each year. Now, that number is north of 800 annually. This includes students from Bowen Island Community School and Island Pacific School, plus kids from high schools on the mainland including members of the Rockridge golf teams.
The influx of youth golfers has led to more offerings at the course as well. The TK Performance Center, completed last year and named for one of the course’s strongest supporters Tim Kerr, provides kids (and adults) with a new range to work on their game, either professionally or recreationally. Both the practice bays and simulator room are covered, allowing them to be open year-round no matter what the weather.
Outside the TK Center lies the Acre, a 9,000-square foot playing surface designed for putting and pitching practice. All of the new facilities have also allowed the course to establish a Junior Golf Academy, which also receives funding to help offset its costs.
Meszaros emphasizes that there is a program for all kids at the club, whether they want to pursue the game professionally or have never swung a club before.
“I look at the course as a place for kids to come play and aspire to whatever they want to aspire to,” says Les.
Specialized programs available certain days of the week have been designed in partnership with the Canucks Autism Network, along with Anne Wilson and Sophie Walters from Vancouver Island. “Feedback from the parents has been quite heartwarming,” says Meszaros of the kids in those programs. His next goal is to build an artificial putting green in the space which will be fully accessible for kids of all different physical abilities.
The increased enthusiasm among local youth golfers also brings regional attention, and this year the course is home to a pair of provincial competitions taking place at the end of August. Sixty of the top young golfers in B.C. will compete in the Bantam Provincial Championships and the Drive, Chip and Putt Competition from Aug. 27-29. Colin Lavers is the golf course’s PGA Professional Coach, a position he’s now held for around a year. He works with both kids and adults on the game, including teaching the First Tee Program. His son Carter will be taking part in the competitions next week.
“It’s a perfect venue for it, the course isn’t too long, but it’s challenging and it’s always in good shape,” he says. “I’ve been to quite a few different Bantam and Juvenile provincial championships, and this will be one of the better courses that hosts it. Sometimes they get some really rickety golf courses. So this will be a good test of golf.”
Lavers says he is thoroughly enjoying his role on Bowen, and is motivated by all the recent developments at the course, along with various future projects in the works.
“As this (TK Center) is finished, more people discover it, and every month things seem to get a little bit better,” says Lavers. “It’s a great spot, I brought provincial kids over here, I brought my friends over here, everybody who comes in says if you drop this in Metro Vancouver it would be the busiest place in the world.”
“I don’t think the people of Bowen know how lucky they are quite yet. They’ve got a great golf course, it’s challenging, it’s tricky, it’s beautiful. You’ve got high tech stuff, you’ve got this great practice facility, and it’s only getting better,” says Lavers.
