More than 100 junior golfers had just completed 18 holes of high school competition in the Baylor Preview when Rob Riddle nodded in the direction of a 10-year-old boy chipping onto the practice green.

The youngster had been following the action earlier in the day, walking from hole to hole and noting a difficult hole location on No. 9 at Black Creek Club.

Riddle smiled, knowing that the boy is interested in golf at a time when competition for leisure and activity time among kids is at an all-time high.

“All it takes is one or two good shots, and he’s hooked for life,” said Riddle, Black Creek’s general manager. “Juniors will go from girls to ladies; boys grow into men. And one day they’re going to be the future players, future volunteers and future members of clubs.”

Junior participation in golf has grown, according to the latest industry report by the National Golf Foundation. It found there were 4.8 million junior golfers in 2006, up 9 percent from the previous year.

Specific data for Chattanooga-area junior golfers is not available, but local head pros said they have not seen a drastic increase or decrease in junior participation. But they stressed that junior golf is strong.

“In the first year I started with the CDGA junior tour, we had 50 kids and now there’s about 70 per tournament,” said WindStone head professional Jeff Craig, who has volunteered to run the district association’s junior tour for the last 11 summers. “I’d love to add one more tournament, but I don’t know when it can happen.”

The golf industry realizes the impact juniors have on the game.

Fiona Dolan, director of membership programs for the United State Golf Association, said the USGA has more than 15,000 junior members. She said that figure has increased steadily in recent years, and the USGA is examining ways to grow it further.

“We need to look at different memberships that are offered to juniors, and we need to segment the market so we’re not talking to high school kids and 8-year-olds with the same message,” Dolan said. “You also have to get through to them directly. We are developing a plan now and plan to implement it in the next year.”

Robin Boyer, head pro at Bear Trace at Harrison Bay, said Chattanooga courses understand the importance of junior golf and support it better than many other areas of the country.

“That’s why so many have supported junior golf, because it’s the future of our business,” Boyer said. “If we don’t discount our rates or give free range balls, they may not be around.

“They’re trying to create junior programs because juniors are the next big market.”

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