It takes thinking big to keep pace with the hopes and dreams of the junior golfers in Texas. And the TGA Foundation is doing just that with its plans to expand the Youth on Course (YOC) program statewide in 2022.
The goal for this year is to grow the number of YOC partner courses in current areas and in key targeted regions to 100, and to increase YOC membership enrollment to at least 5,000. That’s a big leap forward from the current totals of 27 partner courses and approximately 1,500 members, but one the TGA Foundation believes is needed to continue to create a positive impact on as many kids’ lives as possible.
Youth on Course is a 501(c)3 organization that began in 2006 as an initiative of the Northern California Golf Association to subsidize the cost of green fees to help provide more young people with access to affordable golf. Belonging to the YOC community gives members aged 6-18 access to play more than 1,400 golf courses across North America for $5 or less, along with benefits and opportunities that support their journey with the game.
“We are committed to inspiring and nurturing a new generation of golfers through the statewide expansion of Youth on Course,” said Kelly Kilgo, Managing Director of the TGA Foundation and Director of Outreach. “We are thrilled to able to give more junior golfers in Texas access to affordable and accessible rounds and to take part in an influential program to help them thrive on and off the course.”
The TGA Foundation first partnered with YOC at the start of 2020 to launch a pilot program in the San Antonio area. More than 450 juniors signed up that year and played over 1,700 rounds for $5 or less at eleven partner courses, including the eight that comprise the Alamo City Golf Trail.
“As stewards for municipal golf in the City of San Antonio, we are proud to have joined forces with the TGA Foundation and Youth on Course,” said Ruben Caraveo, Alamo City Golf Trail’s Director of Marketing. “Having a Youth on Course program available has really helped lower the financial burden on parents hoping to get their children into golf. We have seen a definite increase in the number of young players on our courses, which we think is fantastic! They are the future of our sport.”
Last year the TGA Foundation expanded the reach of YOC to include partner courses in Abilene, Austin, Crosby, Dallas-Fort Worth and Midland. In the two years since the roll out of the pilot program, more than 1,500 junior golfers have signed up to be a part of YOC, and the TGA Foundation has helped subsidize over 9,000 rounds of golf.
Now the aim is to bring the YOC program and its life-changing opportunities to more deserving young people in Texas.
“The TGA Foundation’s board of directors wanted to take things slowly at first in order to gauge the interest level in the program from both a youth and course perspective, which has been very enthusiastic,” Kilgo said. “We wanted to make sure we had the necessary resources to administer Youth on Course in a meaningful way. Now with funding in place, we are ready to make the greatest impact on the greatest number of young people.”
For more information about YOC in Texas, click here. For more information about the TGA Foundation and its other junior golf development programs and initiatives, click here.