ARVADA —Against the backdrop of the sun setting on the peaks of the Rocky Mountains, three members of the Hardin family in Arvada chatted and practiced their golf swing on the first fairway of West Woods Golf Club.
Normally, this could be considered bad golf etiquette.
But this was Family Night, and nine holes of had been set aside that evening exclusively for families. And there was no one else in sight, meaning there was no pressure from other golfers waiting to tee up as Calder Hardin, 9, and his brother, Beckett Hardin, 6, practiced chipping.
“It’s been a great program: The kids get to practice with an instructor for an hour, then they close the course and they get to go out and get the real experience,” said Kathy Hardin. “No older golfers and no grown-ups.”
“And no professionals,” Calder added.
As national golf numbers continue to decline — the number of Americans who say they played at least once in 2014 is at — the two city-owned courses run by have maintained steady numbers, holding at around 95,000 rounds played yearly since 2011.
Gordon Reusink, the department’s director, said the city has worked hard at drawing youth and women into the game while focusing on making the game accessible to people of all skill levels.
“As other courses around the country largely slowed down during the recession, we managed to hold our own, then saw an increase in rounds played,” Reusink said. “One thing that makes us different is we’re very friendly toward player development.”
Working under a program created by the Arvada has selected about a dozen programs that have proven successful at keeping folks on the links at both West Woods and Lake Arbor courses.
Programs like Ladies Night Out has women munching appetizers and sipping cocktails before a 45-minute lesson followed by evening rounds on sections of the course set aside exclusively for them. That generally draws about 80 women, said Steve Lynes, Arvada’s director of golf, and like Family Night, is usually sold out.
Hardin said she also participates in Ladies Night Out, and like Family Night, she said it’s a relaxed and welcoming environment.
“It’s super-nonthreatening and welcoming to people of all skill levels,” Hardin added. “The staff want people to play and want people to be excited and don’t care how long you’ve been playing or if you’re new to the game.”
Another program has instructors teaching golf in Arvada elementary schools for a week, followed by rounds on the city-owned courses.
Lynes said programs tailored to youth run the gamut from informal tournaments to specialized clinics.
“We try to fill every niche, from getting kids started when they’re 6 years old to hosting high school teams’ practice lessons,” he said.
Bobby Quaratino, head golf professional at West Woods, said it’s often hard — and intimidating — for beginners to make the transition from the driving range to the course or to simply step onto a golf course to begin with.
“We really try to make the game accessible for everyone and to create environments where beginners feel comfortable,” Quaratino said.
In addition to offering a wide range of programming options, regional demographic trends have tilted in favor of golfing.
Some 30,000 residents are expected to move into the northwest region of the metro-area in the coming decades, and skew toward drawing the traditional golfer demographic.
“We definitely think we can handle the growing numbers but will eventually need to gear up with more staff to meet the needs of our programs,” Lynes said.
Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729, abriggs@denverpost.com or twitter.com/abriggs
