Fox Valley Golf Academy provides opportunity for young players to embark on a “golf journey” beginning at age 6 with progressive instruction at every stop along the way. The Golf Academy welcomes youth players of any age new to the game to receive an introduction to the basics before ultimately growing their game through camps, leagues, and a rolling curriculum dedicated to youth golf.
The Fox Valley Golf Academy also offers camps and clinics for more experienced players at the high school level.
Fox Valley Golf Academy programming is scholarship-eligible through the District’s Fox Valley Park Foundation for families who qualify.
Birdies is a beginner-level introduction to Golf with an emphasis on making Golf Fun while providing instruction on short-game, irons and woods, etiquette, rules, and introducing ways to practice correctly.
Eagles
Age: 10-13Y
Eagles is a beginner-level instruction-based introduction to golf focusing on Fun, putting, short-game, irons and woods, etiquette, rules, and competition.
Aces
Age: 13-17Y
Aces is a junior high to high school beginner level Golf program for players with little to no previous instruction. The curriculum will cover putting, short-game, irons, and woods, and include tutorials on rules and etiquette.
The Next Level
Age: 8-12Y
The Next Level program provides instruction on competitions, purposeful practice strategies, and prep work for your upcoming tournament schedules/try-outs. Players should have had past experiences with tournament/on-course playing or instruction.
Foxes
Age: 10-14Y
Foxes curriculum will emphasize the quantity and quality of repetitions. Players strive in a smaller class setting, 4-on-1 practice with Coaching. Class 1: Short Game, Class 2: Pre-shot routines, Class 3: Purposeful Practice. Previous instruction/coaching experience is recommended.
Back-to-School Minicamp
Age: 14-17Y
The Back-to-School Minicamp is intended for High School players. Coaches will build participants’ confidence by fine-tuning their game prior to tryouts or an upcoming tournament.
Justin Wyeth’s journey through golf has wound full circle to the Fox Valley Park District and Orchard Valley Golf Course. It’s where he cleaned carts, picked the practice range, and repaired divots during his first summer job as a teen – “Anything,” Wyeth says, “to get closer to the game.”
Twenty-five years later and with an impressive portfolio he’s built exclusively on the Aurora-area golf scene, Wyeth returns to Orchard Valley to develop, lead, and grow the Fox Valley Golf Academy; he’ll oversee the Academy’s day-to-day operations along with developing players of all abilities through camps, leagues and a rolling, progressive curriculum dedicated to youth golf.
“My focus is to provide a welcoming, high-energy culture to teach and promote the game of golf to our community’s youth, no matter their skill level or experience,” Wyeth says. “Our instructor-to-student ratio will be kept low to create more opportunity for individualized attention and positive feedback. Our goal is to build the Fox Valley Golf Academy into a destination for kids interested in learning, growing, and thriving through fun activities, repetition, and meaningful instruction.”
Born and raised in Aurora, Wyeth attended and played competitive golf at West Aurora High School (C’01) and Aurora University (B.A. Physical Education/Teaching, C’06). Wyeth returned to his college alma mater in 2010 as head coach of the women’s golf team before assuming the same role on the men’s side in 2014; he continues to coach both teams as AU’s Director of Golf. A 12-time Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Coach of the Year, Wyeth has three times swept the men’s and women’s awards in the same season.
Under Wyeth’s direction, the Spartans have collectively won 12 conference championships during the last nine years. Wyeth was named the NCAA Division III 2022 Region 6 Coach of the Year presented by Golf Pride Grips. He’s coached eight NACC players of the year; three all-region players; two regional freshmen of the year; and one All-American. The AU men’s team captured a program-best 14th place at the NCAA Championships in 2022.
Before joining AU, Wyeth worked for 10 years as assistant manager at Blackberry Oaks Golf Course in Bristol where he managed all outings and assisted with Chad Johansen’s Golf Academy.
As a player at AU, Wyeth captained the Spartans to the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference championship in 2006 when he was selected to the NIIC All-Conference team and voted AU’s most valuable player.
“To come back and be able to give more opportunities to the community, especially kids, in the world of golf is a dream scenario for me,” Wyeth says. “Orchard Valley is a special place and I want to see kids to reach their goals, enjoy the experience and discover the possibilities golf can provide. That’s the spirit of the Fox Valley Golf Academy.”
Wyeth and his wife Michelle live in Yorkville with their daughters Quinn, 9, and Hadley, 8.
Install Fox Valley Park District
Install this application on your home screen for quick and easy access when you’re on the go.
Justin Wyeth’s journey through golf has wound full circle to the Fox Valley Park District and Orchard Valley Golf Course. It’s where he cleaned carts, picked the practice range, and repaired divots during his first summer job as a teen – “Anything,” Wyeth says, “to get closer to the game.”