USGA Awards 90New Grants Totaling $1.9 Million


June 6, 2007
E-mail address: mediarelations@usga.org

Colorado Springs, Colo. - The United States Golf Association (USGA) has awarded 90 grants totaling $1,952,230 to non-profit organizations to support affordable and accessible golf programs and facilities in the latest phase of its "For The Good of the Game" Grants Initiative.  These May awards will reach nearly 80,000 economically-disadvantaged children and individuals with disabilities as part of the USGA's ongoing effort to create opportunities in people's lives through golf. Grant funds will be used for instruction, golf course and range access, equipment, transportation, and construction of accessible golf facilities.

These awards bring the total awarded by the USGA to nearly $57 million since 1997.

"The values that are inherent to the game of golf are transferable to areas of personal development that reach far beyond the golf course," said USGA President Walter Driver.  "On a daily basis, volunteers throughout this country dedicate themselves to spreading their love of the game to individuals who otherwise would not have the opportunity to play.  Over the past 113 years, the USGA has depended on the service volunteers, and it is no different at the local level.  These volunteers are helping to ensure the future of golf."

Throughout the United States, many junior golf programs and programs for individuals with disabilities are made possible through the support of volunteers. Numerous individuals have donated their time, resources, and energy to create successful golf programs in their communities.  These local champions have made a significant impact on the lives of the participants with whom they work.

YMCA of Greater Dayton

The YMCA of Greater Dayton incorporates a mentoring component in its golf program. Volunteers in "Mentors Matter" range from community leaders and business professionals to golf professionals. The mentors are assigned to participants (1:3 ratios or less) and help programming, community service projects, and leadership development sessions. Mentors develop personal relationships with participants and often keep in touch throughout the year.

Another aspect is the amount of volunteering each participant does during the summer. Junior golf is part of the YMCA's Summer Service-Learning and Civic Engagement program designed to provide the youth of Dayton with responsible and educational community involvement while building self-esteem, positive values and leadership skills. Through collaboration with other non-profit organizations, USGA programs help teens complete a service project each week. In 2006, one of the community service projects was the House of Bread, where participants worked in a kitchen serving lunch and dinner to the homeless. Participants, in total, completed 1,020 community service hours.

North Little Rock Police Athletic League

The North Little Rock Police Athletic League was founded in 1998 to help the youth of Rose City, an economically disadvantaged area in North Little Rock, Ark. Since then, police officers have committed their time to volunteer for junior sports programs, including the golf program. The police officers are trained by a PGA Professional, in order to assist and instruct participants. Volunteers help with the participants has partially contributed to youth arrest rates declining dramatically over the past decade. In 1997, the year before the organization founded its junior sports programs, there were 94 juvenile arrests. This year, there were only 25 arrests.

Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District

On the West Coast, Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District was awarded a grant to support the "Grandfathers for Golf," a volunteer-based organization founded on the belief that golf is best when passed down from generation to generation. "Grandfathers for Golf" is located in San Jacinto, Calif., and introduces the game of golf to approximately 150 underserved youths each year. In order to better serve its participants, "Grandfathers for Golf" has recruited a PGA professional, an LPGA professional, and a PGA apprentice as volunteers. Additionally, "Grandfather" volunteers attend the program and are role models both on and off the golf course as a result of the individual relationships formed.

Carol S. Petrea Youth Golf Foundation

USGA funds will also support the Carol S. Petrea Youth Golf Foundation (Shallotte, N.C.), founded in 2004 by Howard Petrea, a retired U.S. Navy Captain. The organization established The First Tee of Brunswick County, which will serve 500 children from the rural county in 2007. Petrea garnered local support by making children the priority. In just its second year of operation, the organization plans to involve 200 volunteers, with 75 to 100 attending programming on a regular basis. Each of the volunteers goes through training prior to being involved. In 2007, The First Tee of Brunswick County also initiated the "Playing with a Pal" program, which pairs volunteers with kids to play together at a different golf course each month.

Here is a complete list of the 90 programs receiving funding across the country:

USGA Grants Initiative: A Capsule History

The United States Golf Association works to make the game of golf affordable and accessible. Since 1997, the grants initiative has traditionally focused on programming for economically disadvantaged kids and individuals with disabilities. The USGA Executive Committee has extended this grants initiative to the end of the decade, bringing total anticipated USGA support to $65 million to provide financial support and assistance to deserving golf programs. 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, contact the Grants office at (719) 471-4810 or visit the Grants Section of the USGA Web site at www.usga.org

The USGA is the national governing body of golf in this country and Mexico, a combined territory that includes more than half the game's golfers and golf courses.

The Association's most visible role is played out each season in conducting 13 national championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open. Ten additional USGA national championships are exclusively for amateurs, and include the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Women's Amateur.

The USGA also writes the Rules of Golf, conducts equipment testing, maintains an official Handicap System and administers an ongoing "For the Good of the Game" grants program, which has allocated more than $53 million over 10 years to programs that seek to grow the game. For more information about the USGA, visit www.usga.org