The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON - Sixty- plus aspiring golfers aged 7- 17 took to the links last Wednesday through Tuesday at Touchet Valley Golf Course to learn golf basics from a professional- club pro Max Reinland of Veteran's Memorial Golf Course in Walla Walla.

The 60 young people learned grip, swing mechanics, and etiquette in groups of about 20 in three morning sessions. Lessons took place on a make-shift driving range at TVGC-the fairway of the seventh hole inside the race track at the Columbia Country fairgrounds. On Friday, the kids struck out onto the course with adults to play a few real holes and apply their newly learned skills. Afterwards, TVGC Women's Club served a hot dog and ice cream lunch.

"We had the most kids sign up that we've ever had," TVGC Women's Club member and event organizer Cherie Hinchliffe said. "We lost a family of eight that ended up not coming so that took us down to the 60s. More than 60 is a lot of kids. There's just Max (Reinland) and Dakota (Baker) and the ladies, so it makes it a little harder to handle the kids."

Former Washington State University golfer Reinland has been teaching the class for several years now. He says he got involved in the program at the request of former organizer Evelyn Himmelberger.

" I was working at Veteran's Memorial Golf Course and we were sending some kids up here to run the lessons," said Reinland. "Evelyn wasn't happy with them so I came. I didn't know a whole lot about it. I just came, because Evelyn requested me, and I ended up staying down here for four or five years, and I've been coming back every time.

"I'm big on junior golf," Reinland continued. "I like teaching kids almost more than I like teaching adults. (Kids) are just more eager. It's more fun for them. It's not a frustration trying to learn. They don't care. They just want to be out here enjoying golf."

Reinland believes Dayton's course uniquely benefits area kids who want to learn or improve their golf games.

"The beautiful part about Dayton is it's a small course and there aren't a whole lot of people that play out here," Reinland said. "The kids can come and have free rein of the course in the summer. (That's) what we're trying to prepare them for, so they're able to come out here and play without parents."

Unseasonably heavy rains at the start of last week pushed the junior golf lessons back from their original Monday through Friday schedule. The lessons instead wrapped up this week.

"The weather blew us out (last) Monday and Tuesday, so we had to re-do and make up those days," event co-organizer Sue Little remarked. "That kind of took some of the kids away, but on the whole it was really good. The kids were tremendous."

The junior golf lessons are provided by TVGC's Women's Club whose major fundraiser is the Ryder Cup competition between Dayton and Waitsburg men's teams. This year's Ryder Cup raised $1500 for junior golf.