BATH — A weeklong youth golf camp headed up by Northside coach Jared Adams culminated in a tournament on Friday. The campers split into two groups, 12U and 14U.

Luke Ross placed first in the 12U group by shooting a 45. He was followed by Davis Jones (48) and Gus Vansant (52). In the 14U division, Caleb Alligood shot a low round of 51. Jack Biggs (54) and Sam Vansant (55) finished in second and third, respectively.

“They enjoyed it,” Adams said. “Some of them told me they got up and practiced. They got out here and they were hustling out on the range. At the end of the day, I think they all enjoyed their time.”

The turnout this year featured 15 young golfers between the ages of 8 and 14. Adams’ objective has been to build up the sport in Beaufort County, so that was a positive sign for him.

“It’s pretty good considering golf isn’t a sport of choice in our area,” he said. “A lot of kids are striking interest. It’s not just kids that would go to Northside. There are students that may go to Washington or some of the local private schools. They’re potentially going to play golf at the high-school level because of their interest at a young age.

“They’re returning, enjoying it and getting better by sticking with it throughout the year. Leon and Alice Wingate are awesome for letting me hold this camp here and letting the kids come out here to play.”

Adams also got some help from current and former Panther players. Tucker Mooring, who is gearing up for his sophomore season with North Carolina Wesleyan, helped everyday. Evan Cornelius and Matthew Cullom, two of Northside’s top golfers from this past season, helped out everyday, too.

“They’ve followed the guys around to help with ruling, scoring, interpretation, finding lost balls. When you have that many kids, you can’t do it by yourself,” Adams said. “Having them out here to help put this camp on was a plus for sure.”

The campers covered fundamentals in the days leading up to the final-day tournament. It started with teaching proper grip, stance and ball position.

“From there, we progressed to playing the game from about 20 yards out,” Adams explained. “The last few days, we’ve actually been playing and learning how to keep score. We’re teaching them the basic concept of golf. There’s still a lot to learn, but as long as they get the gist of it and they strike interest, they’ll keep doing it.”

The 2018 golf season is still a long way away, but Adams and the Panthers continue to work to improve themselves and the entire county’s golf culture.