Last week’s Maine Golf Hall of Fame induction banquet brought out some great memories and some insights into junior golf. We also got a lesson or two from the inductees and the presenters.

Gary Rees was selected for his work with high school and junior golfers and many of his former players were on hand. A group of his current team came down from Dexter to share the celebration and two of his Greely players, Brian Bickford and Tom Hansen actually made the presentation.

Through it all one message was clear. Rees didn’t just teach golf. His players knew they had to use their etiquette or they wouldn’t have the privilege of playing. He wasn’t just training golfers, he was building young adults and, watching Bickford and Hansen make the presentation, he did it well.

Lisa Jensen, who took up golf in high school and went on to success as a pro, also shared some memories. She admitted to throwing a club while playing with Hall of Famer Cindy Choate, who told her if she ever threw another club in her presence she would never play with her again.

The inductees can still play as evidenced by the results of scramble that goes with the event. Gary Rees led a team of Brian Bickford, Matt Murray and Tim McCarthy to a low gross of 60 and Jensen teamed with Robyn Korsin, Cindy Choate and Laurie Hyndman for second at 62. Third at 63 was the team of Al Biondi, Pennie Cummings, Peter Hatfield and Frank Leary.

As always, various Maine champions for the year were recognized, including this year’s MSGA junior champions. Their play and the competition they went through to win their titles is an indication of the depth of junior golf in Maine.

After a summer of clinics and competition, many older juniors have made the switch to high school teams and one of the busiest places is Martindale C.C. in Auburn.

Head Pro B.J. Wade was pleased with the summer’s activity and noted that four of the club’s juniors qualified for match play in the State Championships at Val Halla. Tyler Scott, Jonathon Roy, Jonathon Paradis, and John Emerson all made it through the stroke play to gain the match play experience. He noted that his weekly Sunday Clinics were busy all summer with a lot of younger kids, some as young as eight. In addition Wade said the kids played a lot, getting in plenty of actual golf along with the clinics.

The week-long camp that he conducts annually with Central Maine Community College attracted 19 kids this year and they got the full package. Along with lessons in every aspect of the game, they received instruction on the rules and etiquette.

Several schools practice at the Auburn club including St. Dom’s, Bates, Lewiston and EL. Hebron Academy has a new varsity team and is using the course as well.

This is the scene at a number of clubs. At Norway, Head Pro Dave Mazzeo reported their busiest summer ever for juniors with at least 20 kids a week and sometimes as many as 30 in their Friday morning clinics. He said was encouraged to see more girls this year. The program was open to those ages 7-13 and included putting, chipping, and hitting full clubs on the range, along with rules and history worked into the activities. There were contests in putting and chipping and a season-ending scramble and cookout for kids and parents.

Another big junior program is at Springbrook where Al Biondi said he had over 50 kids. This long time free program has been a popular entrance to the sport for local youth.

These three programs are the tip of the iceberg. Every course I visit has some kind of junior activity and watching these kids play I see a lot of talent. Those with a competitive bent wind up playing in the MSGA junior tournaments. This season 170 kids took part in that competition and we know that’s a minority of those who are actually playing.

Dave Irons is a freelance writer who lives in Westbrook.