By Jason Coffin

The Oaks Course is offering two free clinics, including discounted and free golf for children under the ages of 15 on Friday in support of Family Golf Month.

Family Golf Month is part of the PGA's Play Golf America campaign, designed to generate more interest among people around the country.

The free clinics will be held at 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., and the whole family is encouraged to attend. A special nine-hole rate of $20 is offered to all adults, while all children under 15 can play for free between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (with a full-paying adult).

This program is just one of the many avenues that The Oaks Course is using to promote junior golf.

During June and July, three separate four-day junior golf camps were offered in conjunction with the Newton County Recreation Commission. All three camps were filled to capacity within three weeks. Due to the overwhelming response, The Oaks has decided to offer other programs to satisfy the demand.

Last month, each Wednesday was available for junior golfers to play three holes with a golf professional. Currently, supervised nine-hole play days, which include lunch each day, are available for golfers ages 10-15 throughout the week of July 7-10.

The Oaks also supported junior golfers by hosting an Atlanta Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tournament on Tuesday. The AJGA was open to all junior golfers throughout the state.

The course was blocked off for nearly half of a days worth of tee times to host the event, which also meant that business was sacrificed.

"My partners and I feel like we have responsibility to grow the future of golf," said Dick Schulz, managing partner of The Oaks, "so, two or three times a year we host events that are free or extremely affordable for our junior golfers. We chose the AJGA as one of our commitments to junior golf because of their reputation as a junior golf supporter."

This dedication is also evident in the junior golfer rate, which was $1 per hole for juniors 17 and under who walk the course during the week and after 4 p.m. on weekends.

Although the economy is not at its best, the influx of junior golfers is a cause for optimism for The Oaks staff.

"The fact that we have got such a good response to these programs is a good sign," said Oaks head golf professional Andy Bowman, "because junior golfers assure that the golf business has a bright future."

For more information, contact The Oaks at (770) 786-3801.