USGA,
AJGA Announce Joint Junior Golf Initiative
Community
service and educational programs at core
of partnership
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Stephen Hamblin and Fred Ridley shaking hands. |
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BRASELTON,
Ga. — The United States Golf
Association has partnered with the American
Junior Golf Association to launch an initiative
aimed at the overall growth and development
of junior golfers, the USGA and AJGA announced
Friday.
“The United
States Golf Association is pleased to announce
its partnership with the American Junior
Golf Association,” said Fred Ridley,
president of the USGA. “By working
more closely and in a more coordinated
fashion, we will be able to reach even
more youth and provide education to the
next generation of golfers regarding the
values and life lessons inherent in the
game.”
Ridley
and Stephen Hamblin, executive director of
the AJGA, announced the formation of this joint
initiative at Long Cove Club on Hilton Head
Island, S.C., where they are attending the
AJGA’s 28th annual
Rolex Tournament of Champions.
“The
USGA deserves tremendous credit for reaching
out to organizations like the AJGA and trying
to create a win-win relationship,” Hamblin
said. “It is the ultimate compliment to us when an organization
like the USGA is willing to support our mission and purpose.”
The
initiative focuses on community service and education, which
the organizations hope will contribute
to the overall growth and development of
young golfers, while strengthening the
game of golf.
“The
young people we are reaching today, through
AJGA events, USGA Junior Championships and the USGA Grants and Fellowship
Program are the game’s leaders of tomorrow,” Ridley
said. “Our joint
efforts with the AJGA will benefit the game today and in the years
to come.”
The
community service initiative will be achieved
by the formation of the USGA/AJGA Youth
Leadership Club. AJGA members will be encouraged
to “give
back to the game” by donating their
time and talent to programs supported by
the USGA Grants Initiative. Each July,
at the Rolex Tournament of Champions, the
president of the USGA will be on hand to
present the President’s
Youth Leadership Club Award to one boy and one girl who have demonstrated
the leadership skills, character and community
service through their involvement in the
program.
The
education initiative will serve as a vehicle
for teaching AJGA members about the Rules of
Golf, rules of amateur status, and etiquette,
while providing USGA-produced resource
materials to each junior. In addition,
the USGA staff will provide expertise
as rules officials at AJGA Invitational events
and instructors at AJGA Junior Player
Workshops. Also, all AJGA members will be given
a complimentary USGA Junior Membership.
To
further develop the future leaders of golf,
the USGA will annually provide four PJ Boatwright
Interns to learn all aspects of golf administration
at the AJGA National Headquarters each summer.
To
aid in the implementation of the initiative,
a USGA Executive Committee member will
serve on the AJGA Board of Directors.
The
USGA, golf’s governing body in this
country and Mexico, works closely with the
Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews,
Scotland to produce a uniform code of Rules
of Golf that are observed worldwide.
The
organization’s most visible role,
however, 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. The other 10
national championships are exclusively
for amateurs, and include the U.S. Junior
Amateur and the U.S. Girls’ Junior.
Record entries were received in 2005 for
the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open.
The
American Junior Golf Association is a
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated
to the overall growth and development of young
men and women who aspire to earn college
golf scholarships through competitive
junior golf. The AJGA, the largest Association
of its kind, has a junior membership (boys
and girls ages 12-18) of approximately 5,000
junior golfers from 50 states and 30 foreign
countries.
Titleist,
the AJGA’s National Sponsor, has been
the catalyst and driving force behind the Association’s
success since 1989. Rolex Watch USA, which enters
its third decade of support, became the inaugural
AJGA Premier Partner in 2004.
AJGA
alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate
and professional golf. More than 160 former AJGA
juniors currently play on the PGA and LPGA Tours
and have compiled more than 300 wins. AJGA alumni
include Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Davis Love
III, Mike Weir, Charles Howell III, Jim
Furyk, Dottie Pepper, Grace Park, Cristie
Kerr and Paula Creamer.
For more information, please contact Rob Coleman
(rcoleman@ajga.org), AJGA Chief Communications
Officer at (770) 868-4200, or Marty Parkes (mparkes@usga.org),
USGA Senior Director of Communications at (908)
234-2300.
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
kids and individuals with disabilities. The
USGA Executive Committee has extended this
Grants Initiative to the end of the decade,
bringing total anticipated USGA support to
$65 million 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 Grants Section of the USGA Web site
at www.usga.org. |