Tag: youth on course

Youth on Course expanding discounted green fees for kids to all 50 states

Youth on Course offers children green fees of $5 or less, with the rest subsidized by private and corporate donors.

Youth on Course, a California-based non-profit that helps cover the cost of golf for children, plans to be active in all 50 states by the end of January.

Youth on Course has taken off since branching out of California in 2014 and ’15, and it now offers programs in cooperation with other state and regional golf associations. The program also offers opportunities for internships, college scholarships and caddie programs.

Children who join Youth on Course are eligible to receive green fees of $5 or less at participating courses. The organization said it subsidized 400,000 rounds in 2020, up from fewer than 100,000 in 2015.

In 2020, nearly 1,500 golf facilities in 38 states and Canada participated in the program. During a virtual call Wednesday, Youth on Course operators said that will expand to all 50 states soon.

Youth on Course updated its visual branding in 2020.

Most of the money used to subsidize rounds is raised through individual donors and corporate partners. Youth on Course then negotiates with facilities to set a price for a round and covers any costs over the $5 the kids pay.

The growth to all 50 states is fueled in part by partnerships with Allied Golf Associations, PGA sections, management companies and a new deal with GolfNow, the online tee time booking service. Through a new integration, GolfNow’s technology will allow Youth on Course members to book rounds directly through the Youth on Course app.

GolfNow also is giving regular golfers the opportunity to round up their booked green fees to the next highest dollar, with proceeds going to Youth on Course.

Youth on Course’s research shows that cost is the toughest barrier to entry for many children. The mission is to provide all kids the chance to learn the game on a real course. The organization said 33 percent of its members are youth of color, 25 percent are female, 51 percent are aged 14 to 18, and 42 percent of rounds are played with an accompanying adult.

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Youth on Course booms in Michigan as golf continues to be a safe activity for juniors

Youth on Course has proved to be a successful way to introduce kids to golf in Michigan and grow the game.

In more than 25 years of service to the game in many Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) capacities, John Schulte has never seen anything like the success of Youth On Course (YOC) in truly growing the game of golf.

“I don’t think anything has come close to achieving this,” said the current president of the GAM Foundation that leads the Youth on Course effort in Michigan.

“We’ve seen some record numbers in tournament growth in the last 20 years by adding a number of championships to reach a more diverse group of golfers, but Youth on Course has exploded with new golfers. It’s been a great way to get young people on the golf course.”

The final 2020 numbers for the GAM Foundation’s work in the ever-growing national YOC effort include 27,660 rounds being played by 7,094 Michigan youth golfers. The foundation paid out $211,000 in subsidies to the 108 Michigan courses that participated.

By comparison, 9,900 rounds were played in Michigan by YOC golfers in 2019 and this year’s subsidies are significantly more than double what was paid a year ago.

This year was the fourth year of GAM Foundation involvement in Youth on Course, which is a national non-profit grow-the game program implemented nationwide that allows youngsters ages 6-18 to play golf for $5 or less.

YOC recently reported over 104,000 members across the country who played nearly 300,000 rounds this year with over 1,400 partner golf courses and over $2 million being reimbursed to the courses for their YOC rounds.

Schulte called the 2020 Michigan numbers in YOC amazing.

“It has been a wonderful year especially considering the pandemic and all the bad things that went on around the world,” he said. “Everybody was worried at the start of the golf season, and even when golfers were permitted to go on the golf course in mid-May, I don’t think anybody expected numbers to increase so much over our previous years.

Schulte said the young golfers jumped on the golf courses and saved the day.

“Getting 27,000 rounds was more than double than what we anticipated even before the pandemic,” he said. “I think all of us were very much surprised and very pleased. Being part of Youth on Course has been a great experience for me, I think for all of us at the GAM, and I’m delighted with it.”

Schulte said the numbers early in the season seemed to be what was expected and he was pleased with it. Then in July and through October, the numbers continued to build.

“That was amazing, and as we passed Labor Day the boys and girls were still getting out on the course.”

The success in Michigan has added a challenge to the GAM Foundation. A centennial celebration in 2019 that involved Jack Nicklaus served as a GAM Foundation fundraiser that, according to Schulte, put the GAM in a great position to fund the subsidies that anchor the program.

“Going forward we need to come up with some additional streams of revenue, especially considering the growth we are experiencing,” he said. “We’re working on it.”

Among the ideas being put into play is the 100 Hole Hike fundraiser used by the YOC. The GAM, led by Executive Director Chris Whitten, raised over $4,000 in 2019 and over $14,000 in 2020. The 100 Hole Hike involved Whitten and others taking pledges and then playing 100 holes of golf on foot in a single day at Chandler Park Golf Course in Detroit.

“We would like to grow the 100 Hole Hike and have it become a state-wide initiative for us,” Schulte said. “We want to encourage young golfers to get involved, graduates of Youth on Course and others to get involved and help the foundation continue to fund Youth on Course.”

Whitten is all in despite having sore feet at the end of his 100 holes the last two years.

“The GAM Foundation is so proud to bring Youth on Course to Michigan with the amount of participation we have seen,” he said.

“When many activities were considered unsafe for kids this summer, golf filled a big void for a lot of families. We saw growth over 100 percent and the Hike helped bring awareness to our effort to support kids playing golf affordably all across the state.”

Learn more about supporting Youth on Course in Michigan at GAM.org.

Lauren Timpf, 13, is a prime example of GAM Foundation’s Youth on Course impact

Youth on Course is a national non-profit, grow-the-game program implemented and subsidized in Michigan by the GAM Foundation.

Youth on Course is a national non-profit, grow-the-game program implemented and subsidized in Michigan by the Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) Foundation, and 13-year-old Macomb golfer Lauren Timpf realizes she is an example of the program’s impact.

The young golfer – who this summer has won her age group in the GAM Junior Invitational and the Michigan Junior Girls State Amateur and as the youngest player in the field reached the quarterfinals of the Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship – points out she is not alone.

“I think it encourages a lot more people to just get out and play golf,” she said. “I see more youth coming to play all the time, not just the other kids who play in tournaments like me. For $5 you get to play golf. I practice and play a lot and it helps make that possible.”

The daughter of Ryan and Amy Timpf first heard about Youth on Course through advertisements presented by the GAM and her involvement in the Southeast Michigan TGA golf program presented at her school.

TGA Premier Sports and TGA of Southeast Michigan is a national for-profit after-school program she has been involved with since 2012 and the first grade. Soon to be a freshman at Lutheran North High School in Macomb, Timpf has become an assistant coach with the program, helping to introduce the younger kids to golf.

TGA has endorsed Youth on Course as a way to transition golfers from their programs to the golf courses in an affordable manner.

“After we heard about Youth on Course and learned more about it at TGA, we discussed it at home and it made sense to join,” Timpf said.

“It’s really for everybody. You don’t have to play in tournaments. My dad is a very good golfer and my sister Kate comes with us to play. She is 10 and not into tournaments, but she likes to play with us. It makes golf for our family cheaper. Youth on Course works for everyone. You play golf for $5 and you are having fun. It’s a win-win.”

Lauren is one of 5,500 members this year through the Golf Association of Michigan’s Youth on Course support program, which is up from the 4,261 members a year ago in the state.

Over 15,000 rounds have been played this year at 108 participating golf courses in the state, up from 9,900 last year and the $65,000 in subsidies paid to those participating golf courses through June this year is already more than all of last year.

Those 5,500 members are not as talented or as devoted to the game as Timpf, who next week will play in the GAM Women’s Championship at Muskegon Country Club.

“For me, I learned a ton from TGA and then Youth on Course has made it possible for me to play and practice all that I’ve learned,” she said. “I can play all day if I want, and it’s just $5 each time I play.”

Timpf said she tells friends about it, and the younger kids in TGA who are ready to move their new skills to the golf course.

“It’s a great program all the way around,” she said.

For more information on Youth on Course, visit GAM.org/YOC.