Overview

At Fort McMurray Golf Club, we welcome children at and on the course and believe that introducing children to golf at an early age can have a positive effect on children and families.  It is also important that children are introduced to golf etiquette at an early age, everyone can enjoy their time at the course, the course is not damaged and that we protect children from being injured on the course.

To help promote understanding of proper golf behavior and ensure the safety of all patrons, we have implemented this policy.

Children on the Course

To ensure the safety of children on the golf course, all children riding with adults or playing golf must be able to:

• • Wait quietly and patiently, understanding the need to remain quiet while golfers are playing;
• • Be attentive to the environment, to be able to avoid being hit by errant golf balls and understand where to stand while someone is swinging; and
• • Treat the course with respect, not creating any damage to the course (raking bunkers and walking carefully on and around greens).

To this end, we do not permit strollers or children in baby carriers on the course. Children should be able to walk and be old enough to understand basic golf safety and etiquette in order to be on the golf course.

All children on the course must have supervision and instruction with regard to appropriate behavior at the course.  Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult guardian.  Juniors 13 and over may be permitted to play without adult supervision if there is adequate assurance that they have a fundamental understanding of the rules and golf course etiquette and are able to walk the course and play without disrupting others.  This is at the sole discretion of golf course staff and permission may be revoked at any time.  No junior will be allowed to operate a power cart on his or her own.

Fort McMurray Golf Club has equipment available for Juniors to use free of charge when they are on the course or at the practice facilities.  All junior golf bags are stocked with balls and tees for the Junior to use while on the course.  Golf bags and clubs must be returned in the same condition to the Pro Shop at the end of their round or practice time.

Adults will be held responsible for any damage caused by a child in their care.  If the child is not behaving appropriately and causing a disruption to other golfers, damage to the course or there is a concern for the child’s safety, employees have the ability to remove the adult and child from the course.  Depending on the situation, this may occur after proper warnings have been provided to the adult and/or child or without warnings depending on the nature of the infraction.

Children in the Clubhouse

Similar to the golf course, it is important to teach children the proper etiquette in and around the clubhouse.  Children in the clubhouse should have appropriate adult supervision to ensure that their behavior is not disruptive to other patrons.  Children who have demonstrated that they understand appropriate course behavior are welcome, unsupervised, in the Pro Shop and restaurant.  Children are not permitted in the locker rooms, maintenance and repair rooms, unsupervised.

It is important to remember that there are hazards in and around the clubhouse, golf carts or errant golf balls could pose a safety hazard if children are not attentive to their environment.  Bikes, skateboards or other equipment should not be used around the clubhouse and any such equipment brought to the course should be properly stored where it is not in the way of the golfing or non-golfer traffic.

Children creating a disruption to other patrons, causing damage or behaving inappropriately will be asked to leave.