Ridgefield middle-schoolers tee off

RIDGEFIELD — The Ridgefield School District has created a new golf program for middle school students. View Ridge Middle School golf coach Bob Ball said he hopes the new program “will not only give more students a chance to play competitively, but to develop a long-lasting love of the game.” There are already 19 young golfers competing this season through their school athletics program as the View Ridge Herons; half had never played on a golf course before joining the team, according to a district news release. The new team plays at Tri-Mountain Golf Course and holds indoor practice at the Golf House, a repurposed greenhouse, behind Ridgefield High School. The Golf House has a small putting strip, two driving cages and donated turf. The fall season is for the boys’ golf team, and View Ridge plans to launch a girls’ golf team in the spring. The View Ridge team won the first of its four matches against local middle school golf teams and will compete in a mini tournament at the end of the season.