Millbrook Country Club looking to get youngsters involved in golf

Published 7:00 am Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Golf’s lifespan, like any sport, is dependent upon getting young people involved and engaged.

The young players can then take over for the older athletes, so the cycle can repeat itself.

The best way to continue the cycle is to offer youth programs available to those who may be interested in trying golf.

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This will allow kids to try the sport and fall in love with it before advancing to the more competitive stages.

Currently at Millbrook Country Club a youth program does not exist, but General Manager Colby Scarborough is looking to change that.

Scarborough was born and raised in Picayune, and played at Millbrook when he was an up and coming golfer.

Now, he’s helping the community and golf course that made him into the man he is today.

“I’m trying to give back to the place and facility that gave me the opportunity to move into golf,” Scarborough said.

One way in which he’s doing this is by trying to get junior golfing programs up and running.

Scarborough said that for the past 15 years or so the club has lacked a person willing to spread the word.

“They haven’t had anybody driving junior golf here, nobody is focusing on growing the game,” Scarborough said.

Without that promotion, it’s hard for the community to get excited about the sport, and that’s where Scarborough is hoping to make some improvements in the near future.

Scarborough is an experienced course manager, having worked 19 years at a private country club in Missouri.

However, he knew that he wanted to come back home, and bring Millbrook back to where it was when he was young.

“In my heart of hearts this where I’m meant to be, I’m happy to be back,” Scarborough said.

The club used to have 400 members in its heyday back in the mid to late 1990s.

That number has decreased over the years, and so Scarborough is having the club go through a rebuilding process to get it back to its former glory.

“It’s a great challenge, the members are all fantastic and all I can do is ask them to trust me and move them into the future,” Scarborough said.

There are hopes to start a pro shop at the club to offer members and others in the community the chance to buy golfing gear and goods.

However, the emphasis for Scarborough is, and will continue to be, getting young athletes interested in golf.

“I want to get the kids involved, that’s the next growth of the game,” Scarborough said. “We need to get the juniors, let them stay here and make this their home course.”

There are other benefits besides learning how to perfect an athlete’s swing when they take up golf.

“You learn humility and how to respect the player you’re playing against,” Scarborough said. “You have to learn what defeat is like, it’s going to happen.

Golf will beat you down, it’s very humbling, but it’s very rewarding in that sense as well.”

Scarborough loves the sport, and he just wants his native city to have the facilities that can help young golfers get better.

“I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity, I’m blessed to be back,” Scarborough said.