Two leading initiatives come together to impact and grow girls golf for the future
Wake County, NC – With the Olympic Games taking place in Brazil and women’s golf at the center of the world stage, two of the leading initiatives to grow the game are announcing they have come together in Wake County, N.C.
TGA Premier Junior Golf (TGA) and LPGA*USGA Girls Golf (Girls Golf) are partnering to create local programs that impact and inspire girls golf for the future and perhaps the Olympic Games of tomorrow.
Founded 25 years ago, Girls Golf is a non-profit 501-c3 junior golf program with sites in more than 300 communities across the country. Girls Golf provides girls with quality golf instruction led by LPGA and PGA teaching professionals and creating experiences that show girls just how much fun golf really is.
Wake County is one of 57 TGA markets across the country where thousands of youth are in full swing through its introductory school and community based golf programs, and more than 40 percent are girls. A partnership with Girls Golf where TGA transitions girls through its Player Pathway model into the LPGA*USGA initiative was a natural fit.
“As a golf coach for TGA, I knew it would be a good fit to bring the Girls Golf program together with TGA,” Karen Crisp, LPGA Teaching Professional, and a top teacher for TGA of Wake County, said. “Through TGA’s programs, we are seeing a large percentage of girls participating and to create the Pathway for them to the Girls Golf initiative is very exciting. ‘Girls Just Wanna Have FUN!’ and we want to empower them to be themselves while learning the game that will stay with them for a lifetime.”
Crisp started doing the Girls Golf programs with TGA last spring on Thursday evenings where 34 girls participated. The program was 10 weeks with one-hour classes that covered the basic golf swing, rules, golf etiquette, knowledge and history of the game. In addition, a summer Girls Golf Camp was put on the TGA camp schedule, which had 21 girls participate.
“The Girls Golf programs and summer camps are a ton of fun,” Crisp explained. “In honor of the Olympics we created the five-colored rings of the Olympic games for them to land their pitch shots in. We also honed their putting skills by playing Tic-Tac-Toe and other games with their putters.”
TGA of Wake County currently has had 57 girls signed up for the Girls Golf program and hopes to reach 75 by the end of the year. The next fall session for the girls will take place at Knights Play in Apex beginning on Sept. 1. It goes for 10 weeks. Beginner programs will run from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. and more experienced players will go from 6:45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. The cost of the program is $219 and families can register at www.playtga.com/wakecounty and also learn more about TGA’s other programs like camps and leagues.
Each girl will need to register at www.girlsgolf.org to become a member of the Girls Golf community. The cost is $16 per year, and they receive a packet of goodies from the LPGA including a hat and sling bag.
The TGA model, with its focus on youth ages 3-13, fits perfectly with the Girls Golf demographics, and has become a growing feeder system and pathway to introduce girls to national initiatives. The Wake County chapter has been doing an impressive job planting the seed for the future in 40 area schools with over 2,300 kids going through the after-school enrichment programs and 500 more participating in summer camps.
TGA, (Teach, Grow, Achieve), first launched its Player Pathway in 2003. TGA begins by delivering extended-day golf enrichment programs at Pre-K, Elementary and Middle Schools putting golf on the same menu for kids as the mainstream core sports. Parents are given the option to enroll their children in the sport through a before or after-school golf program they otherwise may not have considered.
About TGA Premier Junior Golf
TGA Premier Junior Golf (TGA) is one of the leading industry models bringing new players into the game. The franchise business model, the only one of its kind and recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as a “Top 10 Franchise Value,” empowers entrepreneurs, PGA Professionals, PGA Sections and Golf Management Companies to activate youth (ages 3-13) and their parents (ages 25-45) through introductory programs at elementary and middle schools, childcare centers and community centers. TGA’s curriculum focuses on instilling a passion and skills development of golf while incorporating character development, STEM core academics, and physical activity. Introductory programs feed into recreational programs at golf courses that include camps and leagues. TGA has taught over 500,000 juniors while making the sport available to 1.5 million families nationwide.
For more information about TGA Premier Junior Golf, visit www.playtga.com or follow @TGAJuniorGolf on Twitter.
Contact:
TGA of Wake County
Maryann Von Seggern – Chapter Director
(919) 267-5789
mvonseggern@playtga.com
TGA Premier Junior Golf
Kevin Frisch – Public Relations
(989) 614-0241
kevin@playtga.com