COLLEGE STATION — During the statewide Texas 4-H Golf Challenge, young people can compete while learning about sports nutrition, golf course and turf grass management, and golf rules and etiquette, said the event’s coordinator.

The 3rd annual statewide Texas 4-H Golf Challenge will be held in different regions during the month of July. (Texas 4-H/Texas AgriLife Extension Service graphic)

“This is the third year of the Texas 4-H Golf Challenge,” said Kyle Merten, Texas AgriLife Extension Service 4-H program specialist in College Station. “The event was developed by AgriLife Extension agents, 4-H specialists and others to give young people an opportunity to compete in an outdoor sporting event.”

Two-day challenge events will take place in all four AgriLife Extension regions statewide – North, South East and West. Dates and locations are:

–North Region: July 2-3, Meadowbrook Golf Course, Lubbock                                                                                                                         — South Region: July 9-10, Victoria Country Club, Victoria                                                                                                                                — East Region: July 9-10, Twin Lakes Golf Course, Canyon                                                                                                                                — West Region: July 23-24, Sonora Golf Club, Sonora

These events are open to young men and women ages 11-18, regardless of whether they belong to 4-H, Merten said.

He said the Texas 4-H Golf Challenge provides a unique opportunity for young people to have fun playing and competing in an outdoor sport and increasing their understanding of some important issues affecting their communities, the state and the nation.

“The event was created in response to statistics showing the increasing obesity among young people and the loss of land, especially prime farmland, to development,” Merten explained. “Texas and the U.S. are experiencing a serious problem with youth obesity, and people need to be more aware of the effect of urban sprawl on the land around them.”

He said each of the two-day golf experiences will include workshops, a clinic with a golf professional, an evening social and the 18-hole golf challenge.

The cost is $180 per team, and participants must register individually at $60 each as a member of a three-person team. Registration includes 18 holes of golf, two catered meals and professional instruction.

Participants should register online through the 4-H Connect website at http://tx4-h.tamu.edu/4hconnect/index.html.

More information about the challenge can be found at http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/golf.

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