God at Work Through Golf Camp

Golf Team from Mandan, North Dakota

Dean Johs has grown the girls’ golf program at Mandan High School from four girls to 30 during his 15-year tenure. He has seen great success on the team and is always seeking more for his team, though not only for greater golf skills. With a history in youth ministry and a desire for his girls to know Jesus, he strives to keep the faith aspect of sport at the forefront. While this can be a challenge for coaches in public schools, FCA sports camps provide the means to bring faith and support together in one place.

Members of the team used to attend an FCA golf camp near Mandan, but that camp is no longer held. Coach Johs didn’t want to lose the valuable experience for his team, so he set out to find another camp.  A few months later, he and nine of his top players loaded their golf gear into vehicles for the 6.5 hour trip to Becker, Minnesota. 

And the Minnesota FCA Golf Camp did not disappoint.

Johs said, “It was above and beyond anything I expected on both a faith and golf level. It was a phenomenal experience” (“phenomenal” was actually a favorite word of Coach Johs when talking about this golf camp!).

Randy Jensen, FCA South Metro Area Director and director of the golf camp, rounded up Master Teaching Golf Professionals at golf camp providing instruction, other PGA and LPGA teaching pros, and coaches from the Twin Cities metro area. There were 43 golfers and 21 clinicians (roughly two golfers to every clinician!). Johs says, “It was top notch as far as coaching, and the course was perfect for teaching.” Campers learned about full swing mechanics, pitching and chipping, and putting and sand play as well as golf psychology. 

Improving their Game

Coach Johs has noticed tremendous improvement in his girls, especially in their swings. He says, “If I would have asked my girls before the camp, they wouldn’t know why their swings weren’t working. Now they know what they need to do and what to watch for.”

In addition to spending hours on the fundamentals, the campers golfed actual rounds together. Besides traditional games, they also mixed it up with a speed tournament, and the seniors participated in a night tournament that started at 11 pm and concluded at 1 am.

Minnesota FCA Golf Camp stretched their game, regardless of the skills they had coming in. Some improved their swing while others learned better balance and still others learned to consider the mental aspect of the sport. One girl said, “It really made me think about how my game doesn’t rely on what I shoot but more what was going on in my head.”

Growing Deeper in Christ

The golf instruction was, in Johs’ words, “phenomenal,” but it was far from all this camp had to offer. He said, “The best part was the college kids Randy recruited to lead the huddles. They hung out with the kids all day long, built relationships, and were there for them. At night they had an opportunity to talk about Christ. Every one of my girls had a positive faith experience.”

Each camper heard about God’s love for them, the sin that separates them from Him, and Christ’s death on the cross for them that gives them eternal life. They also learned how to pursue truth, life, team, and mission. Some campers made first-time commitments to trust Jesus as their Savior, and many shared how the camp had given them a renewed desire to grow in their relationships with God and pursue Him in golf and life. 

One girl had learned to love golf from a favorite uncle. He recently passed away, and she had been struggling spiritually. She realized she had lost a lot of her faith in her grief, and she said, “This golf camp hasn’t only impacted me as a golfer, but it impacted me as a person. In the last few months, I grew really far apart from my faith. This camp made me realize I need to wake up.” She is now committed to pursuing Jesus with her life and growing deeper in her faith.

It is for every story like this that FCA believes in the power of camps. And it is for how camp serves as a catalyst for taking Jesus back to their schools. A couple of the Mandan players want to lead prayer with their teammates before the golf tournaments this fall. All nine girls expressed a desire to continue growing in their faith. 

Would you pray God would continue to draw these girls to Himself and that He would use them to reach others on their campus with the truth of God’s love? And pray for an increase in coaches like Coach Johs who can be a light for Christ to their teams.