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USGA & LPGA Join Forces to Support Girls Golf
March 7, 2003
Colorado Springs, Colo. --The United States Golf Association (USGA) Foundation and the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Foundation announced that they would partner to manage a recent $200,000 grant awarded to The LPGA Foundation by the USGA as part of its "For the Good of the Game" grants initiative. The USGA and LPGA will use this grant to support their LPGA*USGA Girls Golf Initiative. The majority of the funding will be distributed to girls' golf programs across the country through matching grants designed to help programs both get started and grow.
"The USGA and the LPGA have a strong track record of providing a variety of unique golf and educational opportunities to girls in local communities across America," said USGA President Reed Mackenzie. "We feel that our combined efforts have helped create real opportunities for girls to get involved in golf."
Over the last seven years, the USGA has committed more than $550,000 to LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, which 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, including USGA volunteers who serve as site liaisons and provide Rules of Golf education. More than 3,200 girls have participated in the program to date.
"We are extremely appreciative and honored to receive this significant grant from the USGA Foundation. The LPGA has been committed to junior golf and girls golf education initiatives and this funding will assist with the continued development of LPGA*USGA Girls Golf," said Ty Votaw, LPGA Commissioner. "The LPGA*USGA Girls Golf program is a wonderful example of the long-standing relationship between the two associations. We share a well-established vision to grow the game and appreciate the USGA's commitment to the LPGA, its programs and causes."
The LPGA and the USGA will be co-hosting the first-ever national Girls Golf Conference March 6-8, in Tempe, Ariz., at the Fiesta Inn Resort located at 2100 South Priest Drive. The Conference will serve as an educational gathering for Girls Golf site directors around the country. Topics such as creative teaching techniques and fundraising are slated for discussion to provide site directors with tools and resources for running effective Girls Golf sites in their respective communities.
For further information about LPGA*USGA Girls Golf or the formation of a program in a specific geographic area, contact Leilani Bagby or Nancy Nicely at the USGA Foundation office at (719) 471-4810.
About The USGA Foundation Since 1997, the USGA Foundation has been awarding grants through its "For the Good of the Game" Grants Program in an effort to make golf more affordable and accessible. This 10-year, $50 million dollar initiative has traditionally focused on programming for economically disadvantaged youth and individuals with disabilities, as well as the introduction of youth to the game and the golf industry through caddieing and other work-based programs. Beyond its Grants Program, the USGA partners with national organizations to promote affordable and accessible facility development, inexpensive course access, girls golf, and initiatives for individuals with disabilities while also fostering the professional development of recent college graduates in its Fellowship in Leadership in Service program. For more information on the USGA Foundation, contact the Foundation office at (719) 471-4810 or visit the Grants & Fellowship Department.
About The LPGA Foundation Established in 1991 to complement the charitable activities of the LPGA and its tournaments, the LPGA established The LPGA Foundation. The LPGA Foundation has four main goals: to develop and maintain junior golf programs across the country; to develop and maintain scholarship programs for junior golfers; to maintain a financial assistance fund for those in the golf industry; and to conduct research and develop educational activities related to golf instruction. Since its inception, The LPGA Foundation, supported through tax-deductible donations from individuals and businesses, has created and supported a number of programs to achieve those objectives.
E-mail address: nnicely@usga.org
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