By John Davis

OPC Public Relations

Parents of children who may have been searching for an additional outlet to learn the sport of golf can now do so through the Oxford Park Commission. The OPC’s board approved a new program, Ready Golf, during its monthly meeting Wednesday. The new month-long program will begin on July 18 and be taught by Oxford High head golf coach Steve Herring.

Ready Golf will be held at The Links Golf and Country Club. Cost of the class is $100 and is open for youth who are wanting to learn more about the game, including management of the course and scoring.

Chipping and putting and learning how to play off a tee box are some of the other skills that young golfers can learn in the class. Registration for the new offering will begin in the coming week.

“Junior golf is so important in making sure that the game lives on. This is a game that the children can play for the rest of their lives,” Herring said. “I’m hoping to teach them, and also make it fun for them so that they will continue to play the sport for a long, long time. We really appreciate The Links for stepping up and understanding how important this will be for the community.”

In other matters

The board also approved a bid for the construction of a restroom at Garden Terrace Park. Southern General Contractors LLC of Oxford was awarded the bid at a cost of just over $33,000. Two additional lifeguards were approved to be hired by the board. In order for a full slate of services to occur at the city pool, a minimum of five lifeguards are needed for each shift. Seven lifeguards have been taking care of the facility, so the additional help was needed in order to keep all parts of the pool open.

Avent Park will be hosting a Pop Up Water Park later this summer. The event will be used as a fundraiser for a splash pad that members of the community have been approved for. The cost of the splash pad is just over $300,000. More details on the event, including cost, will be available on the OPC’s Facebook page.