This past summer, I was involved in two experiences promoting youth golf. One was getting First Tee — Western New York to conduct a golf clinic for John Barber’s (YMCA) summer school kids at Washington Middle School. After COVID restrictions thwarted two attempts to transport the kids to the Chautauqua Golf Course Learning Center, we were able to at least get a clinic experience for the First Tee golfers. With the help of eight Chautauqua Golf Club members and Director of Golf Kirk Stauffer, it was a big success. First Tee– Western New York is now interested in starting a community program with the YMCA.

The second youth golf endeavor had to do with the City of Jamestown’s request for ideas of how to use the $28 million that the city will receive in American Rescue Funds.

When I heard this, my mind immediately lit up! My mind went back to the memories of playing golf at the original Jamestown Municipal Golf Course. I, like hundreds of other kids, had a chance to play a sport that was supposedly reserved for the wealthy. For as little as $7.50 a season, we played 9-63 holes everyday on the course that I refer to as “The Miracle on Curtis Street.” What an opportunity!

Jamestown Municipal Golf Course was truly a work of immense willpower and dedication.

Planned in 1939, construction, solely by the city, was started and completed in 1956. City government, private individuals, and service clubs shared the cost of the project. George Sharpe, a private citizen, was the spearhead, with Jim Sharpe of the city’s Recreation Department assisting.

A year or two after the opening of the golf course, the city began construction of another worthwhile project on the same plot of land. The new project was Jamestown Community College. Sadly, the golf course shrank in size as expansion of the college took over more and more of the land. Although it operated successfully and never lost money, the course closed in 1969.

The city made plans to build a new course at Chadakoin Park. Blueprints were developed, but the course and the “kids” were abandoned in the early 1970s.

The knowledge and skills that I learned on the course have remained with me throughout my lifetime and are integral to who I am. More than ever before, I think that our city’s youth could really benefit from my proposal. The First Tee program gets kids playing a game they might not otherwise play, and it educates, mentors, and inspires youth to new heights.

With the infusion of $28 million into city development, my mind is telling me that now is the time to build a small golf course/learning center on unused land at Chadakoin Park. To be successful, this project needs community support. I’m asking for your help.

If you support my idea for a golf course and/or youth golf programs, talk with friends and associates, government representatives, local service clubs, public school administrators, local golf courses, and area foundations. Get them on board! To be successful, both physical and financial help are essential.

Our ability to create and sustain opportunities for our youth to experience positive personal growth and development is critical to building successful lives, neighborhoods, and communities. The game of golf and programs that teach both golf and the inherent values of the game can provide a pathway to reaching this goal.

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Scott Johnson is a Jamestown resident.