Jim Gagnon, Mike Somma, Charlie Wheeler

You may not have heard of The Burner Junior Golf Program, but it has been one of the areas most successful local junior golf program for Lincoln/Woodstock area children for over 13 years. Named after Butch Gagnon, nicknamed "The Big Burner", who was employed by the Town of Lincoln at the incinerator plant. “The Big Burner was an avid and skilled golfer who turned a new generation of players on to golf before his death in 1994.

The Burner Junior Golf Program came into being when Jim “Cricket” Gagnon, Butch’s brother, and several friends decided to hold a golf tournament in his memory to start a junior golf program for the Lincoln/Woodstock children.

In the beginning, impromptu clinics were held at a local ski slope and consisted of hitting balls up the slope and hand-picking them after the clinic. Jim rounded up about 20 sets of used adult clubs, cut them down and re-gripped them for any kid who needed equipment.

In those early years there were about 20 kids enrolled into the program. The only instructor available was PGA Professional Bill Baker until about the 5th year when Charlie Wheeler and Peter Gardner of Owl’s Nest came to Lincoln to assist Bill with teaching. Pete and Charlie were surprised by lack of golf facilities and they offered to move the program to Owls Nest. From that point on the program took off and allowed enrollment to grow. This season over 40 kids signed up to participate in the program.

A few years ago it was suggested that the program begin charging fees but Jim has refused to implement any charges. He didn’t want any type of fee preventing any child from participating. The only fundraising event is the Burner Invitational Golf Tournament, an annual golf tournament attended by golfers and long time childhood friends of Jim and Butch Gagnon. With proceeds from this event, the Burner Jr. Golf Program has been able to provide quality equipment and professional lessons at a first class facility at no expense to hundreds of local area children for over 13 years. The program has been organized and run by close friends of the Burner, who have volunteered countless hours working with the children. "Our only reward is in seeing not only the growth in the students golfing skills, but the growth in the students themselves", says Gagnon

The Burner Junior Golf Program would like to recognize and express gratitude to Owl’s Nest Resort and Golf Club for providing the facilities and the support of the entire staff for its contribution to the success of the program.

Jim Gagnon says; “They really care about junior golf, over the years Charlie, KC, Peter, and Bill Baker did a tremendous job in setting up the clinics and I cannot say enough about the way we have been treated by the entire staff at Owl’s Nest, all the way down to the cart barn kids. If I ever needed anything from golf balls on the range to carts for the clinics, all I had to do was ask and it was gladly taken care of. I truly believe that if we were still using the local ski slope, the program would have died years ago.”