About USGA Grant Giving: The USGA works to make the game of golf affordable and accessible. Since 1997, the USGA Grants Initiative has provided more than $65 million to in excess of 1,000 programs that serve economically-disadvantaged juniors and individuals with disabilities. More than 2.2 million participants have benefited from these programs. Beyond its Grants Initiative, the USGA operates several direct charitable activities and partners with national organizations to promote accessible facility development, affordable course access, opportunities for girls in golf, and initiatives for individuals with disabilities.
About USGA Grant Giving in the Piedmont Area of North Carolina: The United States Golf Association (USGA) has long supported golf programs in the state through its For the Good of the Game Grants Initiative, which provides affordable access to the game to underserved youth, girls, and individuals with disabilities. Since 1997, $829,575 has been awarded in the Piedmont Area to 24 different programs and another $418,100 to 11 other programs in the State of North Carolina.
Grant Giving in the Piedmont Area
Total Amount Awarded | Organization Name | City |
$154,000 | Special Olympics North America | Raleigh, NC |
$82,500 | The Triangle Golf Foundation | Raleigh, NC |
$20,000 | Champions for Kids, Inc. | Raleigh, NC |
$12,695 | Saint Augustine's College | Raleigh, NC |
$25,000 | Learning Assistance, Inc. | Durham, NC |
$11,148 | Kenan-Flagler Business School Foundation | Chapel Hill, NC |
$10,000 | Boys & Girls Clubs of Sanford/Lee County | Sanford, NC |
$52,776 | The First Tee of the Sandhills | Southern Pines, NC |
$16,000 | Boys and Girls Club of the Sandhills | Southern Pines, NC |
$5,732 | Town of Vass | Southern Pines, NC |
$15,000 | Challenged Golfers' Network | Pinehurst, NC |
$2,500 | Sandhills Community College | Pinehurst, NC |
$93,013 | Triad Youth Golf Foundation | Greensboro, NC |
$27,673 | City of Greensboro | Greensboro, NC |
$142,650 | Housing Authority of the City of Winston | Winston Salem, NC |
$45,000 | Golf Fore! Fun Inc. | Clemmons, NC |
$45,600 | The First Tee of Charlotte, LLC | Charlotte, NC |
$24,958 | Walter T. Morgan Service Foundation, Inc | Cornelius, NC |
$11,250 | Charlotte Metro Junior Golf Association | Charlotte, NC |
$13,500 | The Charlotte-Mecklenburg PAL | Charlotte, NC |
$6,410 | James J. Harris Family YMCA | Charlotte, NC |
$12,170 | Cleveland County Family YMCA Inc | Shelby, NC |
$154,000 | Special Olympics North America | Raleigh, NC |
$82,500 | The Triangle Golf Foundation | Raleigh, NC |
$829,575 | Total Piedmont N.C. Giving | |
Championships in this area:
2010 U.S. Amateur Public Links, Bryan Park Golf Course, Greensboro, N.C.
2010 U.S. Girls’ Junior, Country Club of North Carolina, Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
2010 U.S. Women’s Amateur, Charlotte Country Club, Charlotte, N.C.
2014 U.S. Open, Pinehurst Resort, Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
2014 U.S. Women’s Amateur, Pinehurst Resort, Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
Story Pitches for this area:
Triad Youth Golf Foundation / USGA-LPGA Girls Golf, Greensboro, N.C.
This foundation got off the ground in large part due to a $53,000 USGA grant in 2000. The group currently reaches over 6500 junior golfers, and in 2001, they started the first LPGA-USGA Girls Golf site in North Carolina, which has grown rapidly ever since. Then, just a few years ago, Chris Haarlow started the Peggy Kirk Bell Girls Golf Tour, which grew from around 30 girls to 200 this year, making it the largest girls only golf tour in the country. There are many different stories here, depending on the focus that is chosen. However, the awareness and avenues that this group is creating for girls golf are truly incredible, as many current players and alumnae of the Tour are qualifying for USGA events (including the Women's Open and the Women's Amateur) and playing collegiate golf. The work that Peggy Bell, a recipient of the Bob Jones award, has done to link and to grow all generations of female golfers should not go unnoticed, either.
Golf Fore Fun, Inc. / The First Tee of the Triad, Clemmons, N.C.
Executive Director, Anne-Marie Goslak, is well-known in the triad area and committed to improving the lives of area youth. The program began in Winston-Salem in 2008 and has since expanded to High Point and Greensboro. This program is a very strong, young chapter of The First Tee and plans to reach 750 participants next year.
The First Tee of the Sandhills, Southern Pines, N.C.
The chapter is currently training its birdie and eagle participants and other interested youth in the Pinehurst / Southern Pines areas to become caddies to serve at the U.S. Girls' Junior in July 2010. They have been using Evans Scholars materials to train and would like to increase the level that the Evans Scholars program is involved. This seems like a great opportunity to promote a program we have supported since 2004 who is actively participating in a USGA championship. They also have a scholarship program for exceptions TFT participants making them unique among the supported programs I have worked with to date.