Why I support the youth on course
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There has been much talk in the golf world about what can be done to make the game more attractive to future youth players. I have participated in many debates and to be honest I am tired of talking. I want to do something.
For a while I have been thinking about how I can use this site to do well for junior golf. I am happy to inform you all that I have found that solution.
I am pleased to announce that Practical Golf is working with Youth on Course. I will support them through donations and use this site as a tool to spread awareness about their organization.
You will see more of it on the site, but I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you all to them, and why they are such a unique organization that does great things for junior golfers and the golf industry as whole.
Who are the youth on track?
If you have not heard of Youth On Course, they are one of the great success stories in the golf world. Their core mission is to "give young people access to life-changing opportunities through golf."
The idea for their current model started about 15 years ago. The Northern California Golf Association faced the problem of declining participation of junior golfers. One of their board members, Michael Hexner, had an idea how to fix it. Michael believed that subsidy rounds with private funds would allow children to play golf at an affordable price and at the same time help golf courses fill their unused tee times.
The idea was to increase junior participation and also use it as a marketing tool for local golf courses (children often buy other things and bring parents). What started as a small project in the Bay Area with one large donor has since grown enormously.
The numbers of Youth On Course are breathtaking. Here are a few notable achievements that they have achieved over the past 10 years:
48,000 members (25% female, 52% aged 14-18)
29 States / Regions implementing their subsidized round program
1,000 participating courses
750,000+ rounds subsidized since 2007 (145,000 in 2018)
Almost 5 million dollars repaid to local golf courses
221 scholarship recipients (94% retention rate) and a total of 1.4 million scholarships awarded to universities
Solving two problems simultaneously
I had to say that the model worked better than anyone could have imagined. Children can now pay $ 5 for playing courses such as Chambers Bay, Cog Hill, The Links at Spanish Bay and even the famous Pinehurst resort.
Moreover, golf courses have extra income. YOC pays them the difference of what they would make for a typical junior round. An additional advantage is that many children bring their parents who pay a full rate, and that courses expose themselves to new golfers. This helps to solve two major problems facing the golf industry: junior participation and unused start times.
Youth on track is growing rapidly and is adding more and more partnerships with local golf organizations and courses. In addition, they have developed various other programs & # 39; s:
Caddy program : in 2018 they trained 250 youth caddies at 20 private clubs in Northern California. YOC pays the basic fee of $ 25, and the golfer pays $ 25. In addition, $ 50 is placed in the scholarship fund of each caddy for those who have a maximum income threshold. More than 1,000 rounds were completed in 2018 and new programs are opening this year in states like Kentucky.
Internships: High school students are selected to work on internet sites (golf courses and clubs) for the summer and YOC pays the wages. Students gain experience in the golf industry, earn money and learn the valuable lesson from work.
Scholarships: YOC members can apply for about 17-20 scholarships. More than $ 250,000 is awarded annually for four-year scholarships. They are deserving and needs-based.
Youth on track is very transparent with their finances, which you can view here. According to their 2018 financial report, they have nearly seven million dollars in assets to work with. Almost 90% of the financial support comes from charities from companies and individuals.
This is not just talking, it's changing life
There are countless success stories from members of Youth On Course. In conversation with their executive director, Adam Heieck, I had to learn a little more about these stories and the plans of the organization for the future.
The program has affected thousands of children. Self-esteem has been eliminated by performing well in a first job. Teenagers who never thought about college now see a different trajectory for their lives that they didn't think was possible before. In addition, many children are introduced to golf who may never have played the game.
Adam Heieck referred to one letter, in particular he received that resonated with him. A mother wrote to him and explained how Youth On Course contributed to the restoration of damaged family dynamics. Her daughter and husband had always struggled to live together and to find a common basis. The father always loved playing golf, and because of the affordable YOC rate, his daughter could join him on the course. Golf became a common ground for the two of them, and it became a tool to connect, and helped to restore their relationship.
I asked Adam what the future holds for Youth On Course. The answer, of course, was more of the same … and some. They want to continue adding youth members, local golf clubs and partner courses in the United States and beyond (they have recently been extended to Canada).
The caddy program is still in its infancy and they hope to be able to replicate that model in golf clubs across the country. Adam also said they want to use technology to make the program more effective. It is an important effort to allow partner courses to log around in a national database, to manage start times and to offer more benefits to their youth members. They believe that working with more technology vendors will help make this process easier and make the program work more efficiently while continuing to grow so fast
Why is the youth practically golfing?
My passion for the game has been with me since I was a little boy. Golf is a part of me, and it has taught me some of the most essential life lessons and brings a lot of joy (and yes, occasional frustration). I want to help spread the game as far as possible so that other children can have the same experience as me.
There is much talk about "expanding the game" and to be honest, I am not a fan of that term. I think it's pretty misused to make organizations look good, but there's not much action behind it.
The reason I want to support YOC is that I believe that their model is the first I have seen that really invests in the future of golf. Like any investment, you don't know how it will end. But I believe that any amount of money given to their organization is used to help protect the future of the game and have a meaningful impact on youth. It makes sense to get children on the course, to provide employment, to award scholarships and to help improve local golf courses. In addition, their rapid growth, transparency and measurable success encourage me to add as much fuel as possible to their fire.
So what am I going to do? First of all, I will donate the proceeds of my company to them throughout the year. Every time someone reads an article about Practical Golf, my book
or even buys a t-shirt, you indirectly donate to Youth On Course.
Nearly two million golfers visit this site in 2019 and that number continues to grow happily. I also want to seduce all of these golfers to donate directly to YOC. I promote them on the site, my newsletter and social media. Even if you give an amount of $ 5, you know that somewhere a child played golf because of you. Maybe they catch the golf cart like you did, and it will be a positive force in their lives. Their participation will also help the golf industry to continue.
I am excited to get started with this endeavor. I hope you will consider donating directly to Youth on Course on their website.