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NGCOA and GCBAA Partner to get Sticks to Kids Contact Wendy Saari CHARLESTON, S.C. (April 8, 2003) - The Sticks for Kids Foundation and the National Golf Course Owners Association have formed a partnership to distribute golf clubs to junior golfers through the Sticks for Kids program. The Sticks for Kids program will give 50 clubs to 15 courses with superior junior golf programs. These courses will be chosen from amongst participants in the NGCOA/USGA Kids on Course program and/or the NGCOA Beginner Friendly Certification program. Courses will be chosen based on criteria such as the number of juniors in their program, how long the program has been in existence, retention rates, affordability, and teaching beyond the fundamentals of golf. "NGCOA and the SFK Foundation share a commitment to player development." said Mike Hughes, NGCOA executive director. "For many young golfers, the cost of equipment is a barrier that prevents them from continuing past the introductory stage. This partnership addresses and helps overcome that barrier." The Golf Course Builders Association of America (GCBAA) established the Sticks for Kids program in 1997. To date more than 1,500 sets of clubs have been distributed and in 2003, 500 sets of clubs will be made available. The program is funded by the Golf Course Builders Association of America through donations and their annual auction held at their award dinner each year. "We have been studying ways of getting clubs into the hands of deserving kids and we have determined that working with NGCOA is the best method to accomplish this," said Steve Shoemaker, President of the Sticks for Kids Foundation. "By establishing the Foundation, we felt that, as members of this industry, this was the way that we wanted to give to the growth of golf," stated Phil Garcia, President of GCBAA, "Partnering with NGCOA will help us accomplish our goal." In addition to distributing golf clubs to junior golfers, the SFK Foundation provides scholarships to outstanding high school seniors who participate in an exceptional NGCOA junior golf program. The students do not have to focus on the golf industry as their career, but rather must prove themselves to be exemplary young men and women. The National Golf Course Owners Association represents more than 5,200 golf courses. Through its nation-wide Get Linked Play Golf initiative, NGCOA is dedicated to growing the game of golf. The Golf Course Builders Association of America is a nonprofit trade association of the world's foremost golf course builders and leading suppliers to the golf course construction industry. |