Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

As I write this, the Oregon Golf Association’s (OGA) final tournament of the season for golfers between 8 and 18 has just concluded in Salem, Oregon.

It was held at “my” home course, Illahe Hills Golf and Country Club, which, to its credit, agreed to host the event for the fourth year in a row.

Why?

In a phrase, “to support the future of golf!”

I say that as a 75-year-old golfer who is past his prime, if he had ever had a prime in the first place.

So, it’s good to see young players take up the game.

Everything went off without a hitch yesterday at Illahe.

That included the work of eight Illahe members who agreed to volunteer as “walking scorers” for the youngest players, those 8-9 and 10-11 years-of-age.  They play 9 holes as they to learn the game, whether they go on to play in high school or college or just love fold for rest of their lives.

One focus is to help players learn how to keep score in the only sport where players keep their own score.  Tournament scorecards are used and players serve as a “marker” for another player in their group, plus they record their own score.

Then, after each hole, they confirm the score with the walking scorer.  And, at the scoring table at the end of their 9-hole round, they sign the scorecard – the same process that occurs in tournaments for older players – as soon as they confirm that all 9 hole-by-hole scores are correct.

A good process, which in the case yesterday, relies on the good work of eight walking scorer volunteers.

When all is said and done, the main benefit of yesterday’s experience:  Young players represent the future of the game of golf and it is worth investing in their continued success.