Brooklyn Junior Golf Center Opens
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and City Parks Foundation today opened the CityParks Junior Golf Center, a state-of-the-art facility, the first of its kind in the nation, that is free of cost and open only to juniors ages 6 to 17. Instruction at the $8 million Center is available for beginners and advanced golfers alike. Adjacent to the City’s Dyker Beach Golf Course, the facility will serve thousands of junior golfers each year. It has a six-hole golf course, a 9,875 square foot practice putting green, a 9,075 square foot chipping green, a 8,100 square foot sand trap, a nine-station covered driving range, a 4,275 square foot Clubhouse Learning Center with classroom space, and full-time instructors.
“This facility will introduce so many children who otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to all the benefits of the game, including sportsmanship, self-discipline, and enjoying the outdoors,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “The City Parks Foundation is an impressive organization that provides recreational, educational, and arts programs to people young and old in parks across the City, which will now include golf instruction for youth at this top-flight facility.”
“Not many people think of New York City as a golfer’s paradise, but with 13 public golf courses, opportunities for play are boundless,” said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Benepe. “Now, thanks to our partners, the City Parks Foundation, we can offer our children a facility designed exclusively for them. The Junior Golf Center at Dyker Beach Park will encourage new generations to discover a game that can lead to lifelong fitness and health. Today’s opening is a real ‘hole in one’ for our City’s kids.”
“The CityParks Junior Golf Center will be the cornerstone of our CityParks Golf program, which begins teaching kids about golf in neighborhood parks across the city,” said City Parks Foundation Executive Director David Rivel. “The CityParks Junior Golf Center will give New York City’s kids a chance to develop into advanced golfers, with the potential to earn college scholarships, while also enjoying the outdoors, learning sportsmanship, and developing skills that translate for life off the course.”
Construction on the $8 million Junior Golf Center began in November 2006. The project is being funded through a combination of public and private funds, with $2 million allocated by the City, $400,000 by the New York State Senate through the efforts of State Senator Martin Golden, and the remaining funds raised by City Parks Foundation from private sources. Of the $8 million total approximately half is needed to construct the center and the rest will establish a permanent operating endowment to support annual programming, operations, and course maintenance. Callaway and Top Flite are the official equipment sponsors of the CityParks Junior Golf Center. The Center is also supported by the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Foundation, Andrew & Ann Tisch, the USGA, and ConEdison.
The Junior Golf Center will be part of City Parks Foundation’s sports department under the direction of Mike Silverman, also offering free tennis and track & field instruction for thousands of youth in parks citywide. The Center will be directly managed by PGA professional Gregg Gaulocher. Click here for more information on the CityParks Junior Golf Center and to learn how to enroll today.
