New USGA President Fred Ridley Kicks Off Tenure By Announcing Nearly $2 Million In Grants To Programs For Youth And Disabled

February 7, 2004
Orlando, Fla. - Newly elected USGA president Fred Ridley, announced today nearly $2 million in funding to help bring the game of golf to more than 40,000 youths and individuals with disabilities across the country.



Fred Ridley at The First Tee of Lakeland check presentation ceremony.


The awards - given to 68 non-profit organizations across the country - are part of the USGA's ongoing $50-million, 10-year initiative to grow the game of golf and help disadvantaged youth and individuals with disabilities gain self-esteem and confidence. To date, the USGA has given more than $40 million.

"I can't think of a better way to launch my new assignment with the USGA than to announce this important USGA funding for these deserving golf programs across the country," Ridley said. "These programs are at the heart of what the USGA does to foster and expand the sport."

The grants announced by Ridley included $100,000 to reopen the par-3 golf course in Lakeland where the Florida native first learned to play golf. The 45-year-old course - originally owned and operated by Publix Supermarkets, Inc. - was closed in June 2002. In July 2003, the YMCA of West Central Florida received a 15-year lease on the land for $1 per year from Publix and began work to rehabilitate the course and make it home to the new The First Tee of Lakeland golf program.

The $100,000 in USGA funds announced today will be used to aid in the construction of greens, a driving range and a short-game area, while bunkers, fairways and tees will be renovated on the nine-hole course. The First Tee of Lakeland program will provide golf lessons, clinics, summer camps and tutoring and mentoring to more than 1,000 Lakeland area youth. Both the course and The First Tee program are scheduled to open in July 2004.

"The par-3 course in Lakeland is one of the places I learned to play golf, and I am truly excited that the USGA is part of this impressive initiative to reopen this terrific course and make it accessible to so many young people in the Lakeland area," Ridley said. "Continuing to support this type of innovative junior program will be one of my top priorities as USGA president."

Additional golf programs receiving funding include:

Organization NameCity, StateGrant Amount
The First Tee of Birmingham
Birmingham, Ala.
$25,000
City of Gadsden
Gadsden, Ala.
$3,400
Boys and Girls Clubs of South Alabama
Mobile, Ala.
$7,000
Boys and Girls Club of SE Alabama
Ozark, Ala.
$23,000
Mississippi County Arkansas Economic Opportunity Commission
Blytheville, Ark.
$35,000
Scott County Boys and Girls Club
Waldron, Ark.
$2,100
Disabled Sports USA Far West
Citrus Heights, Calif.
$18,500
American Deaf Golf Education Foundation
Fremont, Calif.
$2,000
Get A Grip Foundation
Irvine, Calif.
$40,000
Get A Grip Foundation
Irvine, Calif.
$45,000
Tiger Woods Foundation
Los Alamitos, Calif.
$150,000
Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
San Jacinto, Calif.
$6,850
LPGA Foundation
Daytona Beach, Fla.
$200,000
YMCA of West Central Florida
Lakeland, Fla.
$100,000
Boys and Girls Club of Collier County
Naples, Fla.
$8,500
South Florida Junior Golf Academy
Plantation, Fla.
$19,000
Special Olympics Florida
Saint Augustine, Fla.
$18,000
National Alliance for Youth Sports
West Palm Beach, Fla.
$125,000
Friends of John A. White Park
Atlanta, Fla.
$20,000
SNJ Golf Academy
Villa Rica, Ga.
$16,500
World Champions Charitable Found.
Okoboji, Iowa
$4,000
Preston Consolidated School
Preston, Iowa
$4,900
Catholic Church Archdiocese of Chicago
Chicago, Ill.
$4,500
Girls in the Game
Chicago, Ill.
$8,000
Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital
Wheaton, Ill.
$20,000
Woodstock Community Unit School District
Woodstock, Ill.
$7,500
National Alliance for Accessible Golf
Bloomington, Ind.
$7,000
National Alliance for Accessible Golf
Bloomington, Ind.
$150,000
Orange County Junior Golf
French Lick, Ind.
$15,000
Housing Authority of Bowling Green
Bowling Green, Ky.
$3,500
Recreation & Park Commission of East Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, La.
$50,000
Citywide Board of Boston Community Centers
Boston, Mass.
$10,000
Rehabilitation Hospital of the Cape & Islands
East Sandwich, Mass.
$8,000
Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital
Baltimore, Md.
$20,000
Calais Parks & Recreation Department
Calais, Maine
$11,500
Bullseye Golf Foundation
Midland, Mich.
$75,000
Triple "A" Youth Foundation
St. Louis, Mo.
$40,000
Normandy School District
St. Louis, Mo.
$9,920
The First Tee Chapter of the Sandhills
Vass, N.C.
$15,000
The Seacoast Golf Academy
North Hampton, N.H.
$12,200
Cumberland Empowerment Zone Corporation
Bridgeton, N.J.
$4,500
Jersey City Recreation Foundation
Jersey City, N.J.
$6,000
Town of Secaucus
Secaucus, N.J.
$5,000
Dr. Daniel Hale Williams School
Bronx, N.Y.
$10,000
Ulster County Board of Cooperative Education
Port Ewen, N.Y.
$12,000
Fairway Fifth-Graders
Cincinnati, Ohio
$4,000
Spring of Life Fund
Columbus, Ohio
$30,000
Whittier Middle School
Lorain, Ohio
$3,600
Lake County Educational Service Center
Painesville, Ohio
$18,000
Felton Dean Minority and Disadvantaged Youth Sports Foundation
Lawton, Okla.
$40,000
Portland Youth Golf Association
Portland, Ore.
$50,000
Greater Erie Community Action Committee
Erie, Pa.
$4,000
Children's Center for Treatment and Education - Custer City School
Port Allegany, Pa.
$3,500
Children's Center for Treatment and Education - Alternative Education Program
Port Allegany, Pa.
$1,850
Woodlands Foundation
Wexford, Pa.
$15,500
First Swing Rhode Island
North Kingstown, R.I.
$25,000
Bamberg School District One
Bamberg, S.C.
$1,060
Blackville Golf Club
Blackville, S.C.
$4,000
National Golf Course Owners Association
Mount Pleasant, S.C.
$150,000
The First Tee of Spartanburg
Spartanburg, S.C.
$15,480
Howard School District
Howard, S.D.
$3,750
Tennessee Middle School Golf Association
Knoxville, Tenn.
$24,000
Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation
Nashville, Tenn.
$30,000
Boys & Girls Club of the Smoky Mountains
Sevierville, Tenn.
$4,000
IDEA Academy Inc
Donna, Texas
$22,100
Abundant Grace Community Church
Edinburg, Texas
$12,000
American Junior Golf Fellowship
Plano, Texas
$21,000
Fairfax County Park Authority
Fairfax, Va.
$3,880
Vermont State Women's Golf Association
Rutland, Vt.
$7,500
Pacific Northwest Golf Association
Seattle, Wash.
$40,000
Fir State Junior Golf Foundation
Seattle, Wash.
$20,300




USGA Grants Initiative: A Capsule History

The USGA works to make the game of golf affordable and accessible. Since 1997, it has awarded more than $40 million as part of its 10-year, $50 million commitment to provide financial support and assistance to deserving golf programs. The grants initiative traditionally focuses on programming for economically disadvantaged youth and individuals with disabilities. Beyond its Grants Initiative, the USGA partners with national organizations to promote affordable and accessible facility development, course access, girls golf, and initiatives for individuals with disabilities.

For more information on the USGA Grants Initiative and Fellowship Program, contact the Grants office at (719) 471-4810 or visit the Grants Section of the USGA's Web site at www.usga.org.

United States Golf Association
1631 Mesa Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80906
PHONE: 719 471-4810 FAX: 719 471-4976

Contacts:

Jessica Turnwald, 719-471-4810 ext. 28, jturnwald@usga.org

Stephanie Bluma, 202-585-2755; sbluma@webershandwick.com