Page 42 - GBC summer English 2025

A Standout Success
Copper Point’s Year-Round
Commitment to Take A Kid
To The Course
Get ready to make unforgettable memories on the course because Take A Kid To
The Course is back in 2025! NGCOA Canada is excited to once again bring you this
incredible program, where kids under 16 can play golf for free with a paying adult.
This year’s program runs from July 7 to 13 and with over 500 golf courses
participating across the country, it is Canada’s largest junior golf initiative. Since
2001, thanks to the amazing support of NGCOA Canada members, over 550,000 kids
have participated in the program and had the chance to fall in love with the game.
One facility that has taken the program to the next level is Copper Point Golf
Club, a 36-hole facility in Invermere, BC, which features the Par-71 Point Course,
and the Par-62 Ridge Course, the latter of which runs the Take A Kid To The
Course program year-round. Over 1000 juniors play on the Ridge Course during
the program week.
CONFIDENCE IN MOTION: SMALL WINS, BIG IMPACT
The Ridge Course provides two sets of junior-length tee boxes: The red tees with holes
ranging from 48 yards to 152 yards in length, and the yellow tees, which range from
70 yards to 208 yards. Brian Schaal, the President, General Manager & Executive
PGA Professional at Copper Point, says the junior tees provide kids with the ability to
hit a full array of shots while keeping a score similar to their parents’ scores.
“At a lot of courses, kids have to play from the forward tees and they never get
the opportunity to chip and putt because of pace-of-play. I think it is important that
we give kids the opportunity to make a par or even a birdie. It sets the confidence
in motion.”
42Members’ Clubhouse
Golf Business Canada
Contributing to that boost in
confidence is Copper Point’s system
for moving juniors back to the next set
of tees. If a junior golfer breaks 100
from the red tees, they are provided
with a certificate that says they are
ready to play from the yellow tees.
“We make a big deal out of it,”
says Schaal. “Usually, one of our PGA
Professionals will sign the certificate
and take a picture with the kids. The
kids then cannot wait to break 100
from the next set of tees.”
Schaal says the program
emphasizes the importance of keeping
golf as accessible as possible. “Kids see
much more value in the game when
they can go out and play, as opposed
to simply hitting balls on the driving
range. Being able to provide more
affordable access for kids to do that is
huge.”