Grants & Fellowships Partnerships
The USGA has formed partnerships with
several national initiatives to help better serve the game at
its grass-roots level. All of these programs share a common
philosophy with the Association in terms of growing the game
while also teaching valuable life skills.
The USGA is the largest financial
supporter of
The First
Tee
network and at year-end 2008, had provided in excess of $24
million dollars to 174 individual chapters of The First Tee and
to the Home Office. The First Tee is an initiative of the World
Golf Foundation that was officially founded in 1997 as a
partnership between the USGA, PGA of America, LPGA, PGA TOUR,
and Augusta National Golf Club. The organization was created to
increase the number of youth participating in the game, with an
emphasis on those who would not otherwise have access, by
developing affordable golf learning facilities where kids can
learn the game of golf at places where they are welcome to
play. In addition to developing junior-friendly facilities, The
First Tee has developed a strong life skills component to
complement the golf curriculum that incorporates community
service and mentoring opportunities. The First Tee programming
is implemented at its individual chapters, which are located in
48 states across the country. The USGA is the largest financial
supporter of The First Tee network and at year-end 2008, had
provided in excess of $24 million dollars to 174 individual
chapters of The First Tee and to the Home Office.
To attract more girls to the game of golf, the USGA entered
into a partnership with the LPGA and the Girls Scouts of the
USA in 1996 to create the LPGA Girls Golf Club. This program
introduced more than 2,500 girls nationwide to the game of
golf. In 2002, the USGA continued its support of junior girl
golfers by
partnering with the LPGA Foundation. The newly restructured
program titled
LPGA-USGA Girls Golf
is aimed at increasing the number and diversity of girls who
have the opportunity to learn and play the game of golf in a
fun and comfortable environment. Each site is operated on a
local level with professional instruction and volunteers. USGA
volunteers, state and regional golf associations, and EWGA
members provide Rules of Golf education as well as community
support. Additionally in 2002, Girls Golf launched its matching
grants program as a way to help local sites with expenses
incurred for equipment, instruction, and course and range
access. As of December 2008, the USGA has awarded more than
$1.3 million to support the initiative since its involvement in
1996. At year end 2008, Girls Golf had 187 sites and nearly
6,000 girls participating nationwide. More than 60,000 girls
have participated in Girls Golf since its inception.
The National Alliance for Accessible Golf (the Alliance) is a
charitable organization founded in 2001 working to ensure the
opportunity for all individuals with disabilities to play the
game of golf. The Alliance is a broad-based coalition comprised
of individuals with disabilities, representatives from national
golf organizations, and specialists in the fields of
rehabilitation, medicine, therapeutic recreation and physical
therapy.
In an effort to advance golf for
individuals with disabilities, the organization has written
tool kits for golf course owners and golfers. Through GAIN
(Golf: Accessible and Inclusive Networks) and other programs,
the Alliance also promotes inclusion and awareness to the golf
industry, golf instructors, and the public.
To view the National Alliance for
Accessible Golf's Web site, please visit
www.accessgolf.org
.
Hook a
Kid on Golf
(HAKOG) was founded in 1990 by the
National Alliance
for Youth Sports
(NAYS), in order to give individual communities the tools and
resources necessary to start their own junior golf programs.
The USGA assisted with the creation of HAKOG with a $90,000
start-up challenge grant, followed by a $45,000 challenge in
1991. After NAYS not only met both challenge grants but
exceeded them, it became clear that HAKOG was a
well-established program that effectively introduced the game
to youth across the country. The USGA has continued its
financial support HAKOG programs, awarding NAYS to date over
$973,000 in funding.
At the local level, USGA financial assistance matches the $125
program enrollment fee for up to 10 economically disadvantaged
youth in the HAKOG Tee Level Clinics provided that the
organization subsidizes participant fees for an equal number of
economically disadvantaged youth as they are requesting.
Tee Level Clinics are designed to introduce the game of
golf to beginners through a week-long curriculum that focuses
on basic instruction and life skills education. In
addition, participants receive a new starter set of golf clubs
at the end of programming. Since 2001, the USGA has
awarded over $800,000 for this subsidization, which translates
into over 6,400 youths who have been able to participate in the
Tee Level Clinic for no fee. This process has effectively
doubled the number of economically disadvantaged participants
impacted by USGA dollars through HAKOG programs. Although
HAKOG also operates a Start Smart program for beginner golfers
ages 5-7 and Green Level Clinics, a six-week program designed
to transition beginners onto the golf course, USGA funds only
subsidize enrollment into the Tee Level Clinics. Organizations
should not come directly to the USGA Foundation for these
matching grants but instead contact the NAYS office, who is
responsible for distributing the matching funds awarded to them
by the USGA.
The USGA office will accept grant applications for HAKOG
Challenge Leagues provided that these programs are also
operated for economically disadvantaged youth. Challenge
Leagues are designed as a continued access opportunity for
youth who have advanced through the introductory HAKOG Clinics
and have demonstrated the ability and desire to play on the
golf course. In 2002, the USGA awarded NAYS $50,000 in
matching funds for Challenge Golf Leagues operated through
their partnership with the Police Athletic League.
Founded in November 2000, Kids on Course is a partnership
between the USGA and the National Golf Course Owner's
Association (NGCOA) with the goal of securing affordable golf
course access for participants in USGA-supported junior golf
programs. Both organizations believe that access to affordable
playing opportunities is one of the most important factors in
facilitating the development of young people through golf. The
characteristic that defines the Kids on Course program is the
rate that kids pay - only $1.00 per round. In addition to
providing affordable access, Kids On Course offers a Web site
where participants can post scores to track improvement. The
USGA handles the overall administration and planning of this
project, with assistance in marketing from the NGCOA.
More information can be found at
http://www.usga.org/aboutus/foundation/initiatives/kidsoncourse.html.
The USGA has provided financial support to Special Olympics
since 1992. Additionally, representatives of the USGA have
assisted at the Special Olympics national invitational golf
tournament, which is played in accordance to the USGA's Rules
of Golf. More than 100 Special Olympics athletes compete
annually at the Special Olympics National Invitational
Tournament. Among Special Olympics sports, golf provides one of
the greatest opportunities for these athletes to train and
compete with their peers in the community. The public setting
of a golf course is a great venue for all athletes to
demonstrate their skills and passion for the game. The mission
of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training
and competition to athletes with cognitive or developmental
disabilities.
For more information about Special
Olympics, please visit
www.specialolympics.org
.
Golf 20/20 is an industry-wide initiative to develop future
interest and lasting
involvement in the game of golf. The Junior Initiative is aimed
at enhancing communication and organizing resources related to
junior golf. In 2001, the USGA launched
JuniorLinks.com
--- the ultimate junior golf web site, serving kids, parents
and program directors. The site hosts a searchable database of
junior golf programs registered across the country.
JuniorLinks.com offers articles and resources on junior golf.
The USGA manages the day-to-day operations of
JuniorLinks.com.