Nestled quietly in Bay Ridge Brooklyn, next to Dyker Beach Golf Course, sits a 12-acre state-of-the-art green created for the future golfers of New York City. At City Parks Junior Golf Center the facilities and instruction are free, comprehensive, and exclusively for youth. This is a first of its kind, only of its kind golf center in the nation, created specifically for sharpening kids’ skills and providing opportunities to those who might not be able to afford the hefty price of golf instruction.
Mayor Bloomberg, known to be an avid golfer himself, spoke at the opening of the facility last summer, “This facility will introduce so many children – who otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance—to all the benefits of the game, including sportsmanship, self-discipline, and enjoying the outdoors.” Before the opening of the new Dyker Beach center, City Parks Golf had offered free instruction since 1999, each year teaching to more than 1,800 youth throughout the five boroughs. Instruction took place in neighborhood parks and the equipment was provided free of charge. Eager to learn the game, young golf students lined up all over the city on artificial turf, baseball diamonds and soccer fields. Now they have a world class course of their own. 
Instead of maneuvering around dugouts and backstops, they can focus on steering clear of sand traps and rough.
The golf course itself is beautiful: a 6-hole, par-3 layout complete with large, USGA regulation greens and holes ranging from 50 to 120 yards.
Cut from a sea of towering trees and plush greenery, the Junior Golf Center makes you feel like you’re far from the bustling cityscape.Junior golfers are taught in group lessons and are encouraged to visit the course to practice on their own. A 9-station, netted driving range features an all-weather design for practice rain or shine. If young golfers want master the intricacies of chipping, a rolling 60-yard bunker provides practice opportunities for players of all abilities.
For urbanites who wouldn’t think of New York City as a golf training Mecca, the City Parks Junior Golf Center stands ready to chip away at that misconception. As David Rivel, Executive Director of City Parks Foundation says “[NYC youth] now have a chance to develop into advanced golfers, with the potential to earn college scholarships, while also enjoying the outdoors, learning sportsmanship, and developing skills that translate for life off the course” With top instructors and a worldclass golf facility in Brooklyn, the after school just might lead to Q School.
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Junior Golf Center Dyker Beach Golf Course 7th Avenue & 86th Street Brooklyn, NY 11228 cityparksfoundation.org
