It’s a fore-tunate time for youth golf on Long Island.
Coaches say the sport has grown exponentially at the high school level locally, thanks greatly to the worldwide spectacle of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black last month, which inspired a new generation to hit the links.
“We’re a school that graduates about 120, and we had 42 kids try out this year,” Cold Spring Harbor varsity coach Jamie Lawlor told The Post during a Tuesday practice at Huntington Country Club.
“The last time we really saw numbers like that was when Bethpage had the U.S. Open in 2002 … and I’m hearing similar things from other schools,” he added.
Kids from all sports have caught the golf bug at the height of Ryder Cup mania, according to Lawlor, who said he even had football players trade turf for greens this fall.