Association Awards 143 new grants
Colorado Springs, Colo. – The United States Golf Association (USGA) has awarded 143 grants totaling $2,650,935 to support golf programs across the nation for economically-disadvantaged juniors and individuals with disabilities. The grant funds will be used for instruction, golf course and range access, equipment, transportation and the construction of accessible golf facilities.
The USGA has awarded more than $62.5 million since the Association implemented the Grants Initiative, “For the Good of the Game,” in 1997.
The USGA Grants Committee reviewed a record 160 applications at its May meeting. “The USGA is pleased that there has been a growing interest in the Grants Initiative,” said USGA President Jim Vernon. “There are hundreds of organizations nationwide working to grow the game of golf for juniors and individuals with disabilities. We are proud to support these remarkable programs with USGA grant dollars.”
USGA-Supported Program Highlights
Revelation Golf (Elk Grove, Ill.)
Revelation Golf launched in 2005 with the mission of increasing the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual quality of life for children and adults with cancer or a physical disability, wounded veterans, and at-risk youth. The organization uses the game of golf to help participants become active members of the community. In 2007, the program reached nearly 500 participants through clinics and on-course activities throughout Illinois. Through the support of a USGA program grant, Revelation Golf will expand to reach an additional 150 participants and incorporate rehabilitation services along with golf lessons. The program works closely with Veterans Administration Hospitals throughout the state in order to serve injured military veterans and soldiers returning from Iraq.
Saint Augustine’s College (Raleigh, N.C.)
Saint Augustine’s College is a first-time USGA grant recipient. It operates the Meadowbrook Junior Golf Program. The program is at Meadowbrook Golf Club, a course founded specifically for African-Americans during the time of segregation. The program was launched at the beginning of 2008 and will serve 100 children in Raleigh during its first year of operation. Saint Augustine’s College recently assumed operational responsibilities for the course and plans to implement this junior golf program in order to encourage local children to become involved in the game and grow from its values, while creating a lasting relationship with the course. Participants will have access to Meadowbrook Golf Club outside of normal programming hours for $2 per round.
Tennessee Golf Foundation (Franklin, Tenn.)
This USGA grant supports a unique initiative that will reach out to local military families. Approximately 48 kids from the Ft. Campbell military base will be given full scholarships to a golf camp this summer called “Screaming Eagles Week” at the Tennessee Golf Academy. The program provides instruction and playing opportunities. The Tennessee Golf Foundation feels it is important to give these kids the opportunity to take their minds off of the war and engage them in enriching golf activities. Many of the families on the base are single-parent households as more than 25,000 soldiers from Ft. Campbell have been deployed to Iraq.
Russian Jack Springs Junior Golf Association (Anchorage, Alaska)
Russian Jack Springs Junior Golf Association was founded in 2005 and received its official chapter status as The First Tee of Alaska during that same year. The organization is only the second USGA-supported program in the state. The First Tee of Alaska operates junior golf programming at Russian Jack Springs Golf Course in Anchorage with the mission of impacting the lives of young people by providing programs that promote character development and life enhancing values through the game of golf. In 2007, during its first year of programming, The First Tee of Alaska served 400 children from the City of Anchorage. In 2008, the organization projects to grow significantly and reach 1,000 kids, including outreach to approximately 80 Special Olympics participants.
USGA Grants Initiative: A Capsule History
The United States Golf Association works to make the game of golf affordable and accessible. Since 1997, the grants initiative has traditionally focused on programming for economically disadvantaged juniors and individuals with disabilities. The USGA Executive Committee has extended this grants initiative to 2013 to provide financial support and assistance to deserving golf programs. Beyond its Grants Initiative, the USGA partners with national organizations to promote affordable and accessible facility development, course access, girls’ golf and initiatives for individuals with disabilities.
For more information on the USGA Grants Initiative, contact the Grants office at (719) 471-4810 or visit the Supporting the Game section of the USGA Web site at www.usga.org.
The USGA is the national governing body of golf in this country and Mexico, a combined territory that includes more than half the game’s golfers and golf courses.
The Association’s most visible role is played out each season in conducting 13 national championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open. Ten additional USGA national championships are exclusively for amateurs, and include the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
The USGA also writes the Rules of Golf, conducts equipment testing, maintains an official Handicap System and administers an ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program, which has allocated more than $62.5 million since 1997 to programs that seek to grow the game. For more information about the USGA, visit www.usga.org.
A complete list of programs receiving funding across the country, organized alphabetically by state:
Organization Name City, State Grant Amount
Challenge Alaska, Incorporated Anchorage, Alaska $4,170
Russian Jack Springs Junior Golf Association Anchorage, Alaska $20,000
The First Tee of Greater Alabama Bessemer, Ala. $9,000
Boys and Girls Club of Ozark Ozark, Ala. $16,000
Alma Area Boys and Girls Club Alma, Ark. $1,150
Tiger Woods Foundation Irvine, Calif. $150,000
Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce Charity Foundation Los Angeles, Calif. $12,000
Del Rio CC Foundation Modesto, Calif. $12,000
Valley Junior Golf Association Murrieta, Calif. $20,000
Oak Run School District Oak Run, Calif. $12,000
Kappa Golf Association Sacramento, Calif. $6,000
San Jose Sports Authority San Jose, Calif. $32,500
San Joaquin Junior Golf Foundation Stockton, Calif. $9,000
Boys & Girls Club of Southwest County Temecula, Calif. $4,000
Siskiyou Family YMCA Yreka, Calif. $2,700
The Youth Foundation Edwards, Colo. $40,000
Open Fairways Highlands Ranch, Colo. $20,000
The First Tee of Greater Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. $20,000
Girl Scout Council of the Nations Capital Washington, D.C. $15,000
Urban Youth Golf Program Association Rockland, Del. $29,000
Champions Junior Golf Tour Sarasota, Fla. $30,000
Florida Adaptive Golf South Trail, Fla. $60,000
Walton Foundation Augusta, Ga. $5,260
Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Georgia Brunswick, Ga. $15,000
DeKalb County Decatur, Ga. $10,000
Women in Golf Foundation Ellenwood, Ga. $20,000
Community Foundation Macon, Ga. $3,540
Henry County Parks and Recreation Mc Donough, Ga. $6,000
North Kohala Community Resource Center Hawi, Hawaii $12,500
Link Associates Des Moines, Iowa $1,075
First Tee of the City of Aurora Aurora, Ill. $17,500
Housing Authority of Champaign County Champaign, Ill. $3,400
New Hope Community Baptist Program Chicago, Ill. $10,000
The First Tee of Chicago Foundation Chicago, Ill. $17,500
New Hope Community Service Center Chicago, Ill. $29,500
Revelation Golf Elk Grove, Ill. $45,000
George Bell Youth Opportunity Fund Libertyville, Ill. $5,600
Dupage A.M.E Church Lisle, Ill. $12,000
Proviso-Leyden Council for Community Action Maywood, Ill. $12,000
The Great River First Tee Quincy, Ill. $15,000
City of Rock Island Parks and Recreation Department Rock Island, Ill. $3,500
Boys & Girls Club of Springfield Springfield, Ill. $12,100
Indiana Golf Foundation Franklin, Ind. $10,000
Boys and Girls Club of Greater Goshen Goshen, Ind. $4,410
Decatur County Family YMCA Greensburg, Ind. $2,400
Positive Swing Southport, Ind. $29,000
Buddie’s Buddies Mission, Kan. $5,295
Community Action Topeka, Kan. $12,000
Native American Junior Golf Association Topeka, Kan. $25,000
Owensboro Junior Golf Foundation Owensboro, Ky. $35,000
City of New Bedford New Bedford, Mass. $1,940
Baltimore Municipal Golf Corporation Baltimore, Md. $3,430
The Salvation Army, Baltimore Area Command Baltimore, Md. $10,000
City of Baltimore Baltimore, Md. $6,250
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Md. $50,000
The First Tee of Howard County Columbia, Md. $6,710
Children & Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Landover, Md. $6,000
Kids Rock Ocean City, Md. $2,500
Northern Maine Development Commission Caribou, Maine $5,000
The Midnight Golf Program Detroit, Mich. $46,900
Capitol Area Golf For Youths Lansing, Mich. $5,430
Monroe County Area 34 Special Olympics Monroe, Mich. $3,300
Traverse City Junior Golf Association Traverse City, Mich. $10,000
Courage Center Duluth, Minn. $4,250
Three Rivers Park District Plymouth, Minn. $25,000
Hmong Youth Education Services Saint Paul, Minn. $2,450
Saint Paul Junior Golf Program Shakopee, Minn. $17,500
Triple “A” Youth Foundation St. Louis, Mo. $32,000
Meridian Junior Golf Association Meridian, Miss. $25,000
Life Skills FORE Montana Youth Billings, Mont. $12,000
Walter T. Morgan Service Foundation Cornelius, N.C. $8,630
Saint Augustine’s College Raleigh, N.C. $15,000
Special Olympics North America Raleigh, N.C. $35,000
The Carol S. Petrea Youth Golf Foundation Shallotte, N.C. $15,000
The First Tee Chapter of the Sandhills Pinebluff, N.C. $15,000
Junior Golfer Assistance Program Wilmington, N.C. $20,000
Impact Foundation Fargo, N.D. $13,000
Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, N.H. $9,000
The ARC of Atlantic County Egg Harbor Township, N.J. $4,800
Hoboken Board of Education Hoboken, N.J. $13,380
Jersey Shore Junior Golf Manasquan, N.J. $27,000
New Jersey After 3 New Brunswick, N.J. $10,000
Township of Pemberton Pemberton, N.J. $10,000
Greater Trenton Junior Golf West Trenton, N.J. $27,500
San Juan College Foundation Kirtland, N.M. $28,000
New Choices Las Vegas, N.M. $13,000
Life Skills Fore Youth of the Pecos Valley Roswell, N.M. $34,000
Southern Nevada Junior Golf Association Henderson, Nev. $40,000
Northern Nevada Youth Golf Foundation Reno, Nev. $20,000
City Parks Foundation Corona, N.Y. $25,000
The First Tee of Western New York East Concord, N.Y. $3,000
Metropolitan Golf Association Foundation – Fairchild Wheeler Elmsford, N.Y. $24,000
Metropolitan Golf Association Foundation – Essex County Elmsford, N.Y. $25,000
Boys and Girls Club of Western Broome Endicott, N.Y. $9,000
Henrietta Foundation Henrietta, N.Y. $5,000
Mount Vernon Boys and Girls Club Mount Vernon, N.Y. $9,000
Parks Junior Golf Foundation Rochester, N.Y. $12,000
Edwin Shaw Hospital – Challenge Golf Akron, Ohio $14,500
The First Tee of Akron Akron, Ohio $10,000
Tony Yates Caring for Kids Foundation Cincinnati, Ohio $10,000
Cleveland Metroparks System Cleveland, Ohio $14,000
The First Tee of Cleveland Cleveland, Ohio $25,000
Fore Hope Columbus, Ohio $75,000
YMCA of Greater Dayton Dayton, Ohio $6,000
ViaQuest Foundation Dublin, Ohio $26,500
Bob Kramer Youth Golf Academy Middletown, Ohio $15,000
Boys and Girls Clubs of Lorain County Oberlin, Ohio $9,000
Muskingum Family Y Zanesville, Ohio $5,150
The Chickasaw Nation Ada, Okla. $13,500
Rainbow Youth Golf Education Program Chiloquin, Ore. $1,500
Glen Mills School Concordville, Pa. $10,000
The First Tee of Southwest Pennsylvania Beaver Falls, Pa. $12,000
Harrisburg Parks Partnership Harrisburg, Pa. $5,000
Kids-on-the-Hill Maple Glen, Pa. $7,000
The Greater Philadelphia Scholastic Golf Association Philadelphia, Pa. $45,000
The Greater Philadelphia Scholastic Golf Association Philadelphia, Pa. $80,000
Institute for International Sport Kingston, R.I. $31,250
SharedCare Myrtle Beach, S.C. $30,000
The First Tee of Chattanooga Chattanooga, Tenn. $30,000
The First Tee of Chattanooga Chattanooga, Tenn. $100,000
Tennessee Golf Foundation Franklin, Tenn. $16,000
W.C. Two Knoxville, Tenn. $34,000
United States Blind Golf Association Nashville, Tenn. $6,000
The Greater Brownsville Junior Golf Foundation Brownsville, Texas $30,000
Texas Golf Association Foundation Dallas, Texas $30,000
Roaring Lambs International Junior Golf Association Dallas, Texas $15,000
Project Still I Rise Dallas, Texas $15,000
Fort Worth Junior Golf Foundation Fort Worth, Texas $30,000
Central Texas Players Golf Association Killeen, Texas $12,000
Piney Woods Golf Youth and Development Foundation Longview, Texas $25,000
Lubbock Boys & Girls Club Lubbock, Texas $9,000
Boys & Girls Club of Utah County Provo, Utah $50,000
Salt Lake City Corporation Salt Lake City, Utah $12,000
West Valley City Parks and Recreation – Family Fitness Center West Valley City, Utah $7,000
City of Charlottesville Department of Parks and Recreation Charlottesville, Va. $5,000
YMCA of South Hampton Roads Virginia Beach, Va. $27,500
Seattle Junior Golf Foundation Seattle, Wash. $16,000
Learning Through Golf Foundation Green Bay, Wis. $40,000
Madison Junior Golf Foundation Madison, Wis. $20,000
Madison Metro Youth Golf Initiative Madison, Wis. $4,000
Milwaukee Public Schools Milwaukee, Wis. $5,225
United Community Center Milwaukee, Wis. $4,740
Ohio Valley Golf Association Elm Grove, W.Va. $12,000
Contact:
Beth Murrison (bmurrison@usga.org)
Web Address: www.usga.org
USGA Phone: (908) 234-2300
