North Berwick Inspires Watson Designed Kids Course In Missouri

Bryce Mereness of the St. Joseph News-Press looks at Tom Watson's proposed kids course design in Maryville, Missouri, inspired by local Dr. Bruce Twaddle who clearly made a visit to North Berwick.

Fundraising for the $550k course attached to a First Tee is underway:

“That’s the whole idea for this, to make it fun for them and not too long, where they can hit a shot and get rewarded for it.”

The proposed new nine-hole course at Mozingo Lake could become reality by the spring of 2015.

The project came after Dr. Bruce Twaddle, a local dentist, took a trip to Scotland before the 2011 British Open. His caddy pointed out a group of young kids playing on a shorter course.

From there, Dr. Twaddle worked to secure funding for the project, similar to many others sprouting up across the country as a response to the declining number of youths participating in the sport.

“They had a sign there that said, ‘No adults allowed unless under the direct supervision of a child,’” Dr. Twaddle said. “That’s when the light went off. Everyone I related that story to, it made sense."

The sign(s) in question: