Local junior golf programs reach kids from all backgrounds.

In the summers of my early teenage years I’d wake up at dawn, hop on my bike and ride five miles through country roads to a scrappy golf course freshly carved from a dense forest. After a few hours of picking up golf balls on the driving range for four bucks an hour, I’d work on my iron game, flop shots and drives, dreaming of all the PGA Tour tournaments I’d win as an adult.

When the greenskeepers finished work they started to loosen up, and the crack of beer cans signaled they were getting ready to play a round of golf. That was when I tried to improve on my meager earnings from the morning and hustle men three or four times my age. Through the motley crew of greenskeepers I discovered gambling, substances and ideas beyond my age.

That was my experience as a youngster in New England, and in no way should reflect yours here in more buttoned-down Monterey County: Rather than send kids to work during their vulnerable years where they could develop vices, send them to golf camp where they can interact with kids their age under the wholesome supervision of professional instructors.

Monterey County is known for its world-class golf courses with high-end amenities. While there is a youth golf camp that reflects the reputation, there are others that mirror the diversity of the area. From Pebble Beach to East Salinas there are programs for junior golfers from every walk of life.

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More than 100 fourth-, fifth – and sixth-graders busy themselves on the well-manicured grass at The First Tee of Monterey County in Salinas. It’s a Friday morning, but instead of fiddling with pencils and notebooks in class they’re working on their golf swings, chip shots and putting strokes.

Nick Nelson, executive director of the organization that attempts to bring diversity and equity to a game known for its elitism, looks on with a proud smile. While these kids might be here through the partnership with the Alisal Union School District, many of them will also join Nelson over the summer for a golf camp that will help refine their game while also imparting valuable life skills.

Most kids who attend The First Tee through school programs and participate in the nonprofit’s summer camps aren’t from “golf culture,” says Nelson, referring to the largely white upper-middle class with money to spend on expensive clubs and green fees. Most kids who take an interest in golf do so because their families play the game.

“Golf is the conduit, it’s the medium,” says Nelson, a PGA pro from the United Kingdom who helped found the Monterey Chapter in 2004. “What we really want to do is change their lives.”

Across the Lettuce Curtain is the Nike Golf Camp in Pebble Beach that attracts junior golfers from around the country, if not the world. Since 1993, 300 to 400 competitive junior golfers have come out annually to the Monterey Peninsula to learn from the nationally recognized instructor and Golf Digest contributor Jeff Ritter.

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The week-long camp offered over the course of eight weeks in July and August comes with a hefty price tag – $1,450 a week. If youngsters want to spend their nights at the Robert Louis Stevenson School, tack on another $475.

While located at Pebble Beach, junior golfers who attend the Nike Camp won’t get to play on one of the world’s most famous golf links. But they’ll get to play other high-profile courses, including The Links at Spanish Bay, Spyglass Hill and Del Monte golf courses. Offering more than just the run-of-the-mill instruction on swing mechanics, the camp’s teachers give clinics on sports psychology, fitness and nutrition.

While the junior golf camp in Pebble Beach – Nike’s flagship golf camp – attracts youngsters from more affluent families, the program has offered scholarship for the first time this year to a First Tee participant who shows promise in the game of golf.

Back in Salinas, the First Tee program reaches out to underserved kids. While the eight-week summer golf camp comes with a price tag of $680 – with one-week to four-week options as well – Nelson says kids aren’t turned away for lack of funds, although he prefers something is paid to give parents more incentive to make sure their kids attend. Six-month payment plans are also offered.

Kids in the program, 80 percent of whom live in East Salinas, play more than just golf. Beginners spend only about 20 percent of their time with golf clubs in hand. The rest of the time, they play games and do learning activities set to engage kids who might find golf a bit boring.

“Most kids like golf, but we know it’s not for everybody,” Nelson says.

Those who take to the game spend 80 percent of their time playing golf. Many are kids who would otherwise have no connection to the game, and have gone on to play competitively at their high schools and at tournaments organized by the Salinas Valley and the AT&T Pebble Beach Junior Golf Associations. Some have even gone on to play college golf, Nelson says.

The tentacles of The First Tee reach many places. Mike Spiller, PGA assistant pro and instructor at the Bayonet and Black Horse golf courses in Seaside, has given junior clinics at the Seaside course for the past two summers. At his weekly junior clinics, affordably priced at $10, many of his students come from Salinas and were participants in The First Tee program, where Spiller was an instructor for nearly 10 years.

As the school year comes to an end and the days lengthen, many parents are scrambling to think of ways to keep their kids busy, engaged and out of trouble when school gets out for the summer. For parents looking to have their kids spend ample time outdoors – where the greatest danger is an errant golf ball from a shanked seven iron or a sliced three wood – golf camps are a good option.

Maybe the kids who participate will have a better shot at winning the tournaments I never did – especially if they stay away from the greenskeepers.

JUNIOR GOLF CAMPS, ACADEMIES AND ASSOCIATIONS

AT&T Pebble Beach Junior Golf Association

The AT&T Pebble Beach Junior Golf Association offers clinics and skills evaluations throughout the year, led by Patrick Parrish, golf professional at Nicklaus Club Monterey. Clinics are held at Nicklaus Club Monterey and Rancho Cañada Golf Club. Appropriate golf attire is required.

Sessions to be held throughout summer starting June 4; $40 for five one-hour lessons. (Must be a member of AT&T Pebble Beach Junior Golf Association.)

Nicklaus Club, 100 Pasadera Drive, Monterey; Rancho Cañada Golf Club, 4860 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel. www.attpbjrgolf.com.

Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Academy

For junior golfers wishing to play this summer, Bayonet and Black Horse offers beginner and advanced junior camps, where kids ages 9-17 can play according to their skill level, whether it is learning the fundamentals of the game or just playing 18 holes.

Price to be determined. Dates and times to determined.

1 McClure Way, Seaside. 899-7271, www.bayonetblackhorse.com.

Carmel Valley Ranch Junior Performance Program and Camp

From June through August, Director of Golf Instruction Todd Southard offers three-day intensive camps every week for kids from ages 6 to 12. for Hands-on instruction provides a solid understanding of golf fundamentals. The Junior Performance Program is offered year-round with a focus of preparing juniors for competitive play.

Camps offered weekly from June through August. Tuesday-Thursday, 10:30am-3pm. $275/members; $295 non-members.

1 Old Ranch Rd., Carmel. 620-6406, www.carmelvalleyranch.com.

Justin Russo Golf Academy at Rancho Cañada

The PGA Sports Summer Academy brings instuctions, nutrition and fun to junior golfers from 5 to 17 years old. Justin Russo also offers classes every Wednesday and Saturday for golfers from second to eighth grades.

Camps will be held: June 13-17; June 27-July 1; July 11-15; July 18-25; Aug. 1-5. Full day (12:30-5pm) $349/week. Half day (12:30-3pm) $229/week.

Classes are held every Wednesday (4-5:15pm) and Saturday (2-4pm). Eight classes for $150, or $25/class.

4860 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel. 760-0749, www.justinrussogolfacademy.com.

Nike Golf Camps, Monterey Peninsula

The Cadillac of junior golf camps in Monterey County – and also Nike Golf Camps’ flagship location – brings junior golfers to the area’s premiere courses.

Camps will be held: June 26-July 1; July 10-15; July 31-Aug 5; Aug. 7-12. $1,450/days only, 9am-9pm; $1,875/includes boarding at the Robert Lewis Stevenson School.

3152 Forest Lake Road, Pebble Beach. 1-800-NIKE-CAMP, www.ussportscamps.com.

PGA Junior Golf Camp at Quail Lodge and Golf Club

For three weeks over the summer, PGA Junior Golf Camps come to Monterey County under the instruction of Quail Lodge PGA pro Katherine Marren.

Camps will be held: June 27-July 1, July 11-15, Aug. 1-5. Full-day (10am-4pm)/$550. Half-day (1-4pm)/$299.

8000 Valley Greens Drive, Carmel. 620-8859, www.pgajuniorgolfcamps.com.

Salinas Valley Junior Golf Association

Founded in 1994, the Salinas Valley Junior Golf Association has helped golfers (6 to 17 years old) develop their competitive edge with tournaments year-round.

444-0306, www.svjga.wordpress.com.

The First Tee of Monterey County

Bringing golf and life skills to kids who otherwise would not have exposure to the game of golf, The First Tee has touched more than 60,000 kids since its inception in 2004. The eight-week summer golf camp also offers an array of other activities to keep kids entertained and engaged.

Offered weekly from June 13-Aug. 12. One week/$85; four weeks/$340; eight weeks/$680.

1551 Beacon Hill Drive, Salinas. 442-6922, www.thefirstteemontereycounty.org.