Local Tours, World Championship Qualifiers Leading Up To Seventh Annual World Championship at Historic Pinehurst
ATLANTA, GA (May 16, 2006) – More than 7,500 youngsters between the ages of 4 and 12 are expected to compete in tournaments throughout the U.S. and in a number of foreign countries this summer at U.S. Kids Golf sponsored events that bring competitive opportunities to beginners as well as some of the nation’s most advanced young players.
Beginning next week, kids between the ages of 4 and 12 will begin the fourth summer of U.S. Kids Golf Local Tours that includes weekly events in 22 cities across the U.S. A few days later, the first of 54 qualifying events begin in 36 states and Puerto Rico with some of the best young players in the U.S. hoping to earn a chance to compete later this summer at historic Pinehurst in the seventh annual U.S. Kids Golf World Championship.
From Colombia to Sweden to Japan, international qualifying events have already started to determine the international field for Pinehurst that is predicted to number more than 250.
All this from a company that started in its owner’s basement 10 years ago with the idea that kids would love the game of golf as much as he did if they were given the opportunity to play with clubs that fit them and take part in positively reinforced competitive events.
"I was really just hoping to get my own kids to want to play with me," said Dan Van Horn, a former mini-tour player who is president of U.S. Kids Golf. "It’s just grown from there."
The first "World Championship" attracted 235 players from 29 states and six foreign countries to Jekyll Island, Ga. In its second year, the event grew to 490 players from all 50 U.S. states and was forced to move to a site with more golf courses and hotel rooms. It stayed in Williamsburg, Va., for four years before moving to Pinehurst and the Sandhills region of North Carolina this year. More than 850 players from 30 countries are expected to compete in what has become the world’s largest golf tournament for 4 to 12 year olds.
A few years ago, Van Horn came up with the idea of "local tours," a series of one-day events played over the course of several weeks in metro areas to give less experienced players a taste of tournament play. Local tours are scheduled this summer in many of the nation’s major markets, including Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and Philadelphia, as well as mid-sized areas such as Baton Rouge and the North Carolina Triad.
"Competition is the engine that drives the growth of any sport," Van Horn said. "We need competitive events in golf to bring more kids into the sport and keep them interested. We just need to make sure that those events are positive experiences for the players and their parents so they learn to love the game and keep coming back."
U.S. Kids Golf is based in Atlanta, Ga., and manufactures equipment made specially for kids. In addition to more than 3,800 golf shops and retail locations in the U.S., the company’s products also are available in Europe, Canada, the Middle and Far East, South America, Mexico and Australia. Through the Personal Teeâ?¢ Golf Learning Program and its
Local Tours, Regional Championships, U.S. Kids Golf World Championship and World Championship qualifiers, USKG also provides opportunities for instruction and competition.
For more information, call 1-888-3 US KIDS or visit the company’s web site at www.uskidsgolf.com.
Contact:
Bill Bryant
(678) 366-3232
bbryant@bryantmarcomm.com
