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Windsor’s heritage golf course will soon host 160 youngsters for a historic competition widely considered the longest-running junior tournament in Canada.
From Aug. 19 to 21, youths ages eight to 16 will descend on Roseland Golf and Curling Club for the 96th annual Essex-Kent Junior Golf Tournament.
“We’re excited,” Dave Deluzio, Roseland’s general manager and head golf professional, said Monday.
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“We’re hoping for good weather, the course is in great shape, and it’s a great opportunity for juniors in our community to come out and play free of charge.”
The three-day golfing extravaganza will have three tournament divisions: a “tyke shortie course” for ages eight and nine; a novice nine-hole course for ages 10 to 12; and 18 holes for seniors ages 13 to 16.
Bernard Grabowiecki, a member of the tournament’s committee, said youth will participate in match play, a kind of golf “they don’t have an opportunity to play very often.” He called it a “unique” element of the tournament, and a reason “kids really want to play in it.”
Match play is a golf scoring system where a player or team earns a point for each hole won against opponents. A hole is won by the side that holes its ball in fewer strokes.
“It’s mano-à-mano,” Grabowiecki said. “Eight players get reduced to four, four get reduced to two, and then on our championship Wednesday, you’ll have two kids going out to play their match.”
The winner will take home a trophy and golf bag, and the runner-up will receive a dozen golf balls, Grabowiecki said.
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“There’s a big push for junior golf in our area,” said Deluzio. With 160 young golfers registered for the upcoming tournament, “it’s the highest turnout in over 10 years.”
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Roseland has more than 75 junior members, and demand is growing, Deluzio said.
“Parents love getting their kids outside, and golf’s a great sport,” he said. “You play for a lifetime, and juniors are always calling and asking about playing at Roseland.”
For more information about the Essex-Kent Junior Golf Tournament, visit ekgolf.ca.
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