The future was now.
In May, 16 of the best junior players in Northern California visited NCGA member course Poppy Ridge as part of the U.S. National Development Program.
Formed in 2023, the USNDP aims to develop future generations of American golf and ensure American golf is a global leader. During the Ridge Camp, the players were tested in on-course skills including putting and shot dispersion (some were routinely as small as 5 feet away from the target) and participated in co-ed play.
Players also received education on nutrition and lessons on how to warm up properly from CordeValle Golf Club’s Angel Cabrera and college recruiting tips from instructor Brad Marek.
The captain for the Northern California team is NCGA Hall of Famer Pat Hurst. The coach of the team is Chelso Barrett, who serves as the Director of Instruction at CordeValle. At the team dinner, players got to hear tips from fellow NCGA Hall of Famer Juli Inkster.
“The emphasis of the USNDP program really is to develop talent at the local level,” Barrett said. “One of the best ways to teach to juniors is to share stories. That’s where Pat and Juli are really huge.”
“It’s something I wish I had when I was growing up,” Hurst said. “It’s a great way for me to give back to the game.”
Team Northern California is currently one of 30 states in the USNDP program, with goals to expand to all 50 states by 2033.
Members of the 2026 USNDP NorCal Team are:
Richard Ding, Pleasanton, Class of 2029Ayden Fynaut, Fresno, Class of 2026Cooper Westphal, El Dorado Hills, Class of 2029Braden Cales, Roseville, Class of 2026Kailer Stone, Alameda, Class of 2026Blake Whittington, Rocklin, Class of 2027Luke Harrison, Sacramento, Class of 2027Cooper Mapes, Pleasanton, Class of 2026Jacob Watney, Clovis, Class of 2027William Chang, Danville, Class of 2026
Madalynn Lee, Santa Clara, Class of 2027Caroline Gao, Milpitas, Class of 2029Victoria Cui, Atherton, Class of 2028Erin Lee, San Ramon, Class of 2028Hazel Hooper, Pacifica, Class of 2030Hayley Fong, Hayward, Class of 2028Kelly O’Keefe, Lodi, Class of 2028Ashley Gettleman, Scotts Valley, Class of 2026Emma Wang, Palo Alto, Class of 2027Cathy Zhang, San Ramon, Class of 2027