You are viewing this article in the AnnArbor.com archives. For the latest breaking news and updates in Ann Arbor and the surrounding area, see MLive.com/ann-arbor
Posted on Wed, May 12, 2010 : 5 p.m.

High school golf coach expands junior program to Washtenaw County

By Lon Horwedel

JUNIOR-GOLF.jpg

Hartland High School boys golf coach Nathan Oake, right, talks strategy with his Chris Pentescu before a recent match at Dunham Hills Golf Club. Oake is starting a junior tour in Washtenaw County this summer. (Photo: Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com)

Nathan Oake loves golf. But more than that, he loves introducing younger players to the game.

That’s why the 34-year-old former golf instructor/driving range owner, and current Hartland High School golf coach, helped start the Livingston Junior Tour in Livingston County in 2006. His goal wasn’t to attract high-level junior amateur golfers, but kids who wanted a competitive experience without the intimidation factor.

Oake, who had stints teaching junior golfers at Huron Hills and Leslie Park, as well as Barton Hills and Oakland Hills country clubs before taking over as the Hartland coach, didn’t know what to expect that first year.

What he got was more than 90 youngsters looking for a place to tee it up and compete. Last year, more than 150 Livingston County junior golfers participated in the tour’s 14 events, played at various courses in Livingston County from mid-June through July.

Golfers, who are split into several different age groups, compete every Monday and Wednesday on a pay-by-event basis. Every golfer can earn points based on their finish in the individual tournaments. The top 20 golfers are invited to compete in a championship at the end of the season.

Now Oake is moving his idea south down U.S. 23 to Washtenaw County.

The Washtenaw Junior Tour will begin June 24 at Huron Hills with the first of 10 scheduled events, before the Washtenaw Junior Tour Championship on Aug. 5 at the University of Michigan Golf Course.

Oake points out that even though the entry fees to both the Livingston and the Washtenaw Junior Tours events aren’t going to “break the bank,” they still offer financial aid (scholarships) to any kid in need in an effort to give everyone a chance to play.

Oake’s goal is to help the once thriving junior golf scene in Washtenaw County get back to where it once was not so long ago. He’d noticed the steady decline in the number of participants at the Herb Fowler Junior Golf Championship at Huron Hills over the past few years, and he was determined to do something about it. In fact, according to Oake, it was the decline in participation at the once popular junior tournament, that made “the light bulb go off” and convince him to give the junior tour a try in Wasthenaw County.

Oake is fond of Huron Hills, having worked there in the past, and is friends with course director Andrew Walton. Now the two are working together to put the Herb Fowler back on the map.

“I know there are other competing tours,” Oake said, “but I want to establish a base of competitive golfers who will maybe end their season with the Herb Fowler. I want to help that tournament out.”

To that end, Oake brought 20 of his Livingston County junior golfers down to Ann Arbor last year to compete in the tournament.

Eventually, Oake hopes both tours grow to the point where they can get a Ryder Cup, county versus county, match play event going.

“Something that can carry on some tradition.” Oake said. “Who knows,” he added, “maybe we can get a good 20 years out of this thing.”

For information on either the Livingston Junior Tour or the Washtenaw Junior Tour, please visit livingstonjuniorgolf.com and washtenawjuniorgolf.com.

Lon Horwedel is a photographer for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at lonhorwedel@annarbor.com