Back in the early-to-mid 2000s, junior golf programs were popping up throughout Northern California and a drove of kids were learning the fundamentals of how to play. Those juniors and their families ran into an issue, however. It’s one that has plagued golf for decades.
They wanted to play and their access to learning was reasonable, but the cost of actually getting onto a golf course was not. It was akin to kids learning how to shoot a basketball and then locking them out of the court when they wanted to play a pick-up game.
From that overarching issue came a solution. The Northern California Golf Association developed a unique model for kids that allowed them to play Poppy Hills Golf Course for just $5 per round. In 2006, the idea was expanded into a nonprofit organization called Youth On Course that has created a vast membership network for subsidized rounds of golf. Through the NCGA, donations, membership fees and corporate sponsors, courses are paid a subsidy for certain tee times – usually during hours when facilities are under-utilized – and kids can play for just a few dollars. Membership costs vary depending on where you live, but it’s often in the $20-$30 range.
About 45 percent of the time, a full-paying adult accompanies a junior golfer. Through a beautifully simple concept, kids gain meaningful access to golf while courses gain revenue from tee times, which are perishable assets that often go unused at the exact times when kids are coming home from school. And then there’s food and beverage or pro shop revenue.
“I don’t think there is a ceiling. We have the power to change the economics of an entire sport. It’s a big thing to say, but I think that is possible.”
Adam Heieck
This network existed only in Northern California until 2015 when organizations such as the USGA and PGA of America encouraged Youth On Course to scale the concept. Since that time, it has been exploding on a national level. There are now more than 130,000 members throughout all 50 states and parts of Canada who have access to some 2,000 courses. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Youth On Course has grown to 20 employees while doubling the number of kids impacted and the number of subsidized rounds played. Fundraising efforts were up about 70 percent in 2021. More than 1 million rounds of YOC-subsidized golf have been played.
“I don’t think there is a ceiling,” Youth On Course CEO Adam Heieck said. “We have the power to change the economics of an entire sport. It’s a big thing to say, but I think that is possible.”
Heieck has been captaining Youth On Course since 2004 when the NCGA hired him to develop a plan around the idea. Its base is still in Northern California, where more than 35,000 kids participate in the membership, but the west-to-east growth has continued to build momentum as the organization has immersed itself in structured marketing campaigns during the past few years. Youth On Course’s largest partner is NBC Sports Next, the umbrella organization for GolfPass and GolfNow. Members can book tee times through GolfNow and also have access to a library of instruction and other educational content that is available on GolfPass. There is an initiative in which regular golfers can round up their spare change to donate to Youth On Course when booking a tee time through GolfNow.
July has been designated “Youth On Course Month,” a celebration of moments junior golfers have been able to enjoy because of the access they’ve been afforded. It’s a month of storytelling during which allied golf associations can decide to initiate membership drives, solicit donors or hold certain youth events at local facilities. Overlapping with this month’s celebration is the “100 Hole Hike” during which some 300 hikers will each play 100 holes of golf in one day – these are walking rounds, with no cart – while raising upwards of $3 million collectively. Hikes are taking place from June to November this year at facilities across the country. The tradition started seven years ago when Michael Lowe, Youth on Course’s vice president of programs, hiked alone and raised a few thousand dollars. Since then, it has grown every year with premier sites such as San Jose Country Club, The Hay at Pebble Beach, The Cradle at Pinehurst and other facilities getting involved. Many of them are short courses, although some ambitious hikers will take on regulation courses.
“It’s a challenge not a lot of people have done in golf,” Heieck said. “It’s the combination of that and being able to do something fun to help someone. It’s baked into our yearly calendar and a point of great pride. Every $7 roughly funds a round of golf for someone who may not have access to the game. We can tell you exactly where your money goes, and there is beauty in that simplicity.”
Ashleigh McLaughlin is the vice president of marketing and communications for Youth On Course. A former managing director for the LPGA Women’s Network, McLaughlin started with YOC in March of 2020 and has made a massive impact in helping courses understand the value behind participating.
“The courses that get it are thinking more about the long term,” McLaughlin said. “The data shows that when young people play, there is usually a full-paying adult with them. They’re spending additional money on food and beverage. They’re coming back to play repeatedly, and they are telling their friends about it. Their experience is driving additional business to the courses.
“That can transform the way a community looks at its golf course. It can change the perception of the sport.”
Youth On Course has come to be known as a complement to instructional programs such as The First Tee and PGA Junior League, particularly because of its demographic. About 55 percent of YOC’s participants are ages 14-18, which skews considerably older when compared to other national junior golf organizations. And it’s not just about accessible golf. There will be about $350,000 in scholarships awarded to members this year, while internship and caddie programs have also taken root.
Survey information from Youth On Course indicates that about 75-80 percent of members see better performance in school and improvements in self-esteem. It’s an important reminder that playing golf – which is the only way someone can fully fall in love with the game – comes with a long list of physical- and mental-health benefits.
“We want to build that pathway for kids to succeed outside of golf,” Heieck said.
That’s not to discount what kids can accomplish in the game, as well. PGA Tour player Cameron Champ is a YOC alumnus, and there has been an influx of members who are able to play the game at a high level. Almost every member receives a GHIN account to keep track of their handicap, and many maintain that once they turn 19 and graduate from the program.
“We’re seeing more and more kids playing in AJGA events and really high-level competition,” Heieck said. “It’s almost an unintended consequence of having that access. And even if they aren’t playing at that level, we’re seeing kids come back to communities as young adults, and they are going back to the courses where they played as kids.”
The game is cyclical like that. When kids fall in love with the game, there is a good chance that they will take their future children back to the same facility.
How does Youth On Course reach more kids? It comes down to expanding in places such as Florida, Texas and the Northeast, where thousands of kids need access to affordable golf. It takes spreading the word through First Tee programs, regional golf programs, local families and participating courses that persuade other facilities to get involved.
McLaughlin, who is Black, recognizes that changing the economics of the game will allow more minorities to play. Transportation and equipment are two problems that YOC hopes to alleviate. Partnering with courses closer to diverse neighborhoods is also on the agenda.
“We won’t be satisfied with the amount of minorities playing the game until it is totally reflective of what the population looks like in the U.S.,” McLaughlin said.
If enough kids participate in Youth On Course, it could greatly reduce one of the most daunting barriers golf has to face. For anyone who grew up playing until sundown, waiting in the dark as their parents picked them up, you would understand how impactful this can be.
“We’re just scratching the surface as to what can be possible,” Heieck said.
It could mean an injection of momentum for youth golf.
Top: Youth On Course has been run by Adam Heieck (left) since 2004 and has enjoyed the support of PGA Tour stars such as Rory McIlroy (right).
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