Elesha Nicholls
When people think of golf, they usually associate the sport with rich folks living it up at a country club, preppy outfits, and riding around acres of grass in golf carts and yelling “FORE!”.
Though some of these assumptions may be true to the sport, the Humber Golf Clinic , which opened this month, hopes to bring students and faculty together to learn about the game.
“The clinic was open for anyone who wanted to play. Mostly beginners. So far, we’ve had members of the school’s faculty and one student participate since the clinic started two weeks ago,” said Bob Beauchemin, professor in the faculty of business.
The Humber North campus has a state-of-the-art golf lab that houses the professional golf management program, the school’s golf teams, and a golf retail shop run by the business management program.
There seems to be a shift in how people see the game in recent years.
Facility Manager at Modern Golf in Mississauga, Lucas Lopes told Humber News on Friday that he’s seen an increase of young golfers who are taking the sport more seriously.
Lopes said that the golfing world is taking strides to make the sport, which was once reserved for the upper echelon, a more inclusive playing ground due to more spaces and availability.
“I see more and more young kids coming to learn golf. Some of them take it seriously and want to pursue it professionally,” he said.
“I think the golf world is taking strides to be a more inclusive space by making more spaces available to the general public.”
Beauchemin sees a shift in the industry as well noting that in the past 20 years the face of golf has changed with players such as Tiger Woods becoming a household name.
He’s optimistic that the game will become even more inclusive with new and younger players taking up the sport every day.
“As far as an industry, golf has really tried to encourage young children to play. it’s a great game that teaches life skills and values. More importantly, it’s good for the growth of the game,” said Beauchemin.
The Humber golf team houses athletes that hope to make it in the industry one day. Mike Hasselfeldt explained his experience on the team.
“It’s opened my eyes to how much of a team sport golf can be. The team atmosphere helps you compete in tournaments,” he said.