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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.
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 over 2,500 girls nationwide to the game of
golf. In 2002, the USGA continued its support of junior girl golfers with a five-year
partnership agreement between the LPGA Foundation and the USGA. 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 serve as team members between the site and the USGA, and 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. Girls Golf
has granted $235,182 in matching grant to 94 sites over the last two years. As
of January 2003, the USGA has committed over $565,000 to this national initiative. At
year end 2003, Girls Golf had 131 sites and nearly 4,000 girls participating
nationwide.
At the conclusion of the National Forum on Accessible Golf VI, which was held
in April of 2001, there was a strong resolve among the participants to create
a well organized effort to increase the number of individuals with disabilities
who play golf. To that end, the National
Alliance for Accessible Golf (the Alliance) was formed on August 1, 2001.
Like the Forums, the Alliance is a broad-based coalition comprised of individuals
with disabilities, national golf organizations, and specialists in the fields
of rehabilitation, medicine, therapeutic recreation and physical therapy. The
USGA Resource Center for Individuals with Disabilities (the Resource Center, www.resourcecenter.usga.org)
is a prominent partner of the Alliance as it works to be the informational source
for individuals with disabilities who want to be introduced to the game of golf
or enhance their existing interaction with golf. The Resource Center includes
databases of instructors, programs, facilities, therapists, and equipment for
individuals with disabilities, as well as a variety of other resources and articles.
While the USGA has awarded over $1.5 million in grants to support golf programs
for individuals with disabilities since 1992, the Resource Center provides an
additional means of reaching this audience through the website. The National
Center on Accessibility (NCA) is another organization that is playing a key role
in the Alliance and the Resource Center. In 2000, NCA and the Resource Center
produced From Bag Drop to19th Hole, an instruction booklet designed to assist
golf facilities in becoming more welcoming and accessible to individuals with
disabilities. It has been distributed to over 10,000 facilities to date. The
USGA committed $160,000 to the Alliance for Project GAIN, which is an effort
to create grassroots programming to increase the number of individuals with disabilities
who play golf and, furthermore, become more actively engaged in the social fabric
of their particular community and enjoy an improved quality of life. A total
of five cities have currently implemented the model program.
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 $660,000
in funding.
At the local level, USGA financial assistance matches the $100 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 $300,000 for this subsidization, which translates into
over 3,000 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 2000, the Kids
on
Course initiative 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 of USGA-supported junior golf
programs. By making it possible for youth who do not have the resources to experience
the game, this initiative is developing lifelong golfers. The initiative matches
USGA-supported programs with NGCOA member courses to allow them to build relationships
at the local level. Once a match is made, program directors work with course
owners/operators to determine when participants can play on the course, and each
individual youth is given an I.D. card that he or she presents to receive $1
course access. The USGA and NGCOA have teamed up to handle the overall administration
and planning of this project. Both organizations are currently working to develop
a universal tracking system in order to determine how many rounds are being played
on an annual basis.
The PGA of America and the USGA have helped to develop golf in Special Olympics.
The PGA has provided both financial support through their grants program and
equally important support from PGA golf professionals who provide a wide range
of assistance with the development of Special
Olympics Golf. The USGA has provided financial support and guidance to Special
Olympics Golf, which is played according to the Rules of Golf. A total of 194
Special Olympics athletes from 26 U.S. programs competed in the 2007 Special
Olympics National Invitational Tournament at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie,
Florida. Among Special Olympics sports, golf provides one of the greatest opportunities
for our athletes to train and compete alongside their peers in the community.
The public setting of a golf course is a great venue for our 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 intellectual
disabilities
or closely related developmental disabilities. Both the PGA and USGA are helping
to provide these athletes with a safe, quality and dignified sports environment
with numerous competitive opportunities in the sport. The USGA has awarded over
$500,000 to Special Olympics golf since 1997.
Golf 20/20- Junior Initiative
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 offers articles
and resources on junior golf, as well as message boards for the exchange of best
practices in junior golf programming. The USGA manages the day-to-day management
of JuniorLinks.com. The Junior Initiative also includes support of Junior Golf
Summits organized in local communities to facilitate the exchange of best practices. In
2003, the Junior Initiative focused efforts on a pilot National Golf in Schools
Program. The program offers an instructional curriculum, training and equipment
for an elementary school physical education class.
National Minority Golf Foundation
Founded in 1995, the National Minority
Golf Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation, evolved from a series
of meetings underwritten by the United States Golf Association (USGA) and Golf
Digest to address the under-representation of minorities in the game and business
of golf. The
USGA contributed to the start up funding for the creation and staffing of the
NMGF and has been a financial supporter at various times throughout the organizations'
existence. NMGF is a resource center with a mission that is national in scope,
and serves as a link between the minority community and golf industry resources.
The major focus of the NMGF is employment opportunities in the golf industry.
In late 2001, the NMGF aligned with the World Golf Foundation in order to strengthen
its unilateral efforts on behalf of minorities and the game.
The First Tee
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 38 states
across the country. As of November 2003, the USGA has awarded in excess
of $10.6 million dollars to 74 individual chapters of The First Tee and
to the national organization.
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