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This Fellowship Outreach Program focuses
on operating a Web site that provides information regarding golf
access opportunities
for people with disabilities. Currently, the main goal of the
Resource Center is to promote the Web site and circulate information
regarding adaptive equipment, accessible facilities, and other
pertinent information about getting involved with the game
to as many people as possible. The aim is to create a comprehensive
and searchable database of instructors, golf courses, programs,
therapists, manufacturers, and other affiliates involved with
golf for individuals with disabilities. Along with overseeing
the Web site, Fellows act as the USGA contacts to address questions
regarding golf for people with disabilities.
 
Kids
on Course is a partnership between the USGA and National
Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) with the goal of securing
affordable golf course access for participants of USGA-supported
junior golf programs. The USGA is responsible for the administration
and planning of this program. A team of Fellows are assigned
each year to work with USGA-supported programs to secure
golf course matches and ensure that programs are accurately
tracking the number of rounds played by participants on the
Kids On Course Web site. Additionally, Fellows are responsible
for consistently communicating with the NGCOA and USGA staff
as to the status of individual matches, as well as overseeing
the new Kids on Course Web site.
Pikes
Peak Linkers (PPL) is a junior golf program in Colorado
Springs run entirely by Fellows. PPL provides instruction,
on-course play, and life skills lessons to 100 kids each
year during its spring and summer sessions. Fellows are
responsible for all aspects of the nonprofit program, including
fiscal planning, fundraising, curriculum development and
implementation, impact analysis, and recruitment through
local social service organizations and area families.
The USGA operates a junior golf program
for students from the Colorado School for the Deaf and
Blind (CSDB), located in Colorado Springs. This is an eight-week
program that takes approximately 20 kids to a local golf
course to learn swing fundamentals and course etiquette.
Each year, a handful of Fellows plan and oversee the program,
including the program’s budget, volunteer participation,
and program curriculum.
JuniorLinks.com
is a complete junior golf resource, providing a database of
more than 2,000 junior golf programs throughout the nation.
Fellows are responsible for web content and correspondence
with the general public. In this capacity, Fellows write stories
such as junior golf spotlights or program highlights. The site
also features several interactive sections, including a trivia
game and electronic greeting card.
LPGA-USGA
Girls Golf (GG) is a national junior golf development program
just for girls that are organized by the USGA and the LPGA
Foundation. The program provides the opportunity for girls
to progress in golf, develop life values inherent to the
game of golf, and build lasting friendships. At year end
2006, Girls golf had 182 sites and more than 5,700 girls
participating. Two USGA Fellows are assigned as program
managers and assist nationally with marketing, fundraising,
program growth, and oversight of the matching grants program.
The Recruitment and Selection Committee
is responsible for coordinating all phases of the recruiting
effort and selection process. Fellows’ responsibilities
include publicizing the Fellowship, conducting recruiting
visits at universities and organizations, facilitating
the office-wide application review process, and assisting
with phone and in-person interviews. Additionally, the
Recruitment and Selection Committee handles the logistics
for a selection weekend held in Colorado Springs.
“Catch the Spirit” began
in 1991 in an effort to attract more youth and families
to the game of golf and to USGA Championships. The goal
of the program is to provide exposure to the game’s
rich history, heroes, and lessons to a new generation of
golfers. These events are held at the US Open, US Women’s
Open, US Senior Open, and a handful of USGA Amateur Championships
each year.
US Women’s Open - Catch the Spirit has been held
at the U.S. Women’s Open for seventeen years, and
it is the only Championship that annually hosts a tent
for juniors throughout the week. Kids seventeen and under
are able to attend the Championship for free with a ticketed
adult. The junior tent is available to them all week and
provides free lunch, bag tags, rules books, Catch the Spirit
hats, and more. Kids also have the opportunity to practice
their putting on our “Juniors Only” putting
course and get an inside look at the Championship during
an on-course tour with USGA staff. In 2007 at Pine Needles
Lodge & Golf Club, over 5,200 kids traveled through
the junior tent throughout the week.
US Open - The U.S. Open Junior Day is a one-day event held
every year at the start of the U.S. Open Championship week.
Participants from USGA-supported programs and local social
serve agencies in the area are invited to attend the event,
which includes an exhibition show by trick-shot artist
Dennis Walters, The Golf Channel's Drive, Chip and Putt
Junior Golf Skills Competition, a free lunch, and other
activities. Fellows' responsibilities include securing
a site for the day, creating the days' schedule, contacting
programs, coordinating transportation, securing speakers
and food vendors, and working with the USGA staff to create
and implement a publicity plan to generate awareness for
the event.
US Senior Open – The U.S. Senior Open Junior Day
Clinic has been held annually since 2002. Fellows are responsible
for securing a site for the day, creating the day’s
schedule, contacting programs, coordinating transportation,
securing speakers and food vendors, and working with the
USGA’s public relations firm to create and implement
a publicity plan to generate awareness for the event. In
2008, the U.S. Senior Open will be held in Colorado Springs,
Colorado at the Broadmoor Golf Club. Since the event will
be taking place in the backyard of the Grant’s and
Fellowship Office, the USGA will be running a pilot week
long “Catch the Spirit” event that is very
similar to that of the Women’s Open.
USGA Amateur Championships – Fellows are responsible
for marketing Catch the Spirit events to all USGA Amateur
Championship host clubs, enlightening them on the benefits
of the event and what assistance the USGA can provide.
From there,  Fellows
are responsible for maintaining contact with all participating
host clubs, and ensuring the logistical
planning of the event is properly in order. As Fellows
travel to Championships throughout the year, they may be
requested to assist with the operation of the event. Finally,
Fellows assigned to this program are responsible for ordering
and tracking all give-away items for each Catch the Spirit
event held throughout the year
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New Fellow Orientation is an intensive
two-week process designed to introduce the six new Fellows
to all aspects of the USGA and the USGA Grants Initiative
and Fellowship Program. Planning is typically assigned
to two rising Second Year Fellows, who are responsible
for creating a complete schedule for two weeks, securing
outside speakers, coordinating staff schedules for presentations
on various projects, and assembling electronic orientation
binders, which are useful guides for all aspects of the
position. Following the two-week orientation, new Fellows
begin working on grants and Fellowship projects.
Fellows work with the USGA’s Director
of Construction Education to evaluation construction grant
applications so
that the Grants Committee is informed about the quality of
the proposed golf course construction projects. Fellows serve
as the liaison between the Director and the Grants Office
by tracking construction grant applications and ensuring
that the Director has enough information to accurately evaluate
them.
Operated by the National Alliance
for Youth Sports (NAYS), Hook-A-Kid
ON Golf (HAKOG) is a multi-level
program that provides the necessary
tools for introducing
the game of golf to youth. HAKOG has partnered with the USGA to provide matching
grants for programs operating the introductory Tee Level Clinics. Fellows
work with NAYS during its annual proposal for USGA funding and throughout
the entire grant period. In addition to acting as a resource through the grant
application process, Fellows oversee grant compliance through reviews of program
updates and final reports.
The USGA has forged relationships
with several golf equipment companies through which USGA-supported
programs are given discounted rates on equipment. These
relationships allow USGA grant funds to have greater impact
by decreasing the amount of funding required for programs’ equipment
needs. Two Fellows maintain contact with the equipment
companies in order to keep the office abreast of product
and price changes.
The USGA distributes left-over
Members Program and Championship merchandise to USGA-supported
programs throughout the country. USGA Fellows act as
facilitators by sending merchandise to programs within
the six regions that use it for a variety of purposes,
including participant prizes, tournament awards, and
fundraising events. Since 2001, the USGA has donated
more than $1 million worth of merchandise to USGA-supported
programs throughout the country.
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