Longwood, FL – The Little Linksters Golf Academies, with locations at Wekiva Golf Club in Longwood, FL and Mount Dora Golf Club in Mount Dora, FL have been selected as sites for LPGA*USGA Girls Golf (Girls Golf). Girls Golf provides an opportunity for girls, ages 6 to 17, to learn to play golf, build lasting friendships, and experience competition in a fun, supportive environment preparing them for a lifetime of enjoyment with the game. The only national initiative of its kind, Girls Golf is administered through a partnership between The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Foundation and the United States Golf Association (USGA), both non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organizations.
LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Little Linksters is one of more than 380 sites located around the United States.
Multiple award-winning PGA Professional Brendon Elliott will serve as the site director for LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Little Linksters. LPGA*USGA Girls Golf – Little Linksters is a part of the national LPGA*USGA Girls Golf program, which is the largest developmental golf program in the nation for girls. Originally established in Phoenix in 1989 by LPGA Professionals member Sandy LaBauve, it became a national initiative of the LPGA in 1994. Since the formation of Girls Golf, more than 100,000 girls have participated in the program.
LPGA-USGA Girls Golf – Little Linksters expects to have more than 50 girls participating in the program and all skill levels are welcome.
The Little Linksters Association for Junior Golf Development 501c3 and Little Linksters Golf Academies were established by multiple award-winning PGA Professional Brendon Elliott and his wife Melisa in December of 2011. The Little Linksters program itself was established in early 2008 as a way of introducing children younger than what is historically typical to the wonderful game of golf. The organization is proud to be celebrating 13 years in 2021.
The Little Linksters original program, called, GROW is geared toward introducing kids ages 3-8 to the game. The Little Linksters GOALS program (Golf Outreach Advances Life Skills) which was created in 2012, is designed for children with special needs ages 3-18+.
Other programs ran through Little Linksters include- GROW+ (beginners to intermediate, ages 9-12), ELITE (intermediate to advanced, ages 13-18), their New GROW Teen (beginners ages 13-18), PLAY and FAMILY PLAY, Powered by Operation 36, PGA Junior Golf Camps, PGA Junior League Golf, and proudly, Little Linksters will soon be offering LPGA-USGA Girls Golf Programming starting in the summer of 2021.
Little Linksters main Academies are located at Wekiva Golf Club in Longwood, FL and new in 2021, at Mount Dora Golf Club in Mount Dora, FL. Programming is also offered at Central Florida area schools.
In 2021-2022 Little Linksters is seeking to make scholarships available for ALL children that would like to participate in any of their programming but may have some financial barrier. Boys, Girls, Black, White, Latino, or any other race, creed or color…youth with special needs, or economic challenges, no child should have a barrier to experiencing the game of a lifetime!
For more information, please contact Brendon R. Elliott, PGA at brendonelliott@pga.com.
