AJGA, WGCA align to provide dual membership to college coaches

The American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) and the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) announced a new initiative to provide dual memberships for women’s college golf coaches in 2018.

“The WGCA is excited about the enhancement to our partnership with the AJGA,” said WGCA Board of Directors President Kristi Knight. “The fact that coaches who join the WGCA will now be provided coaches corner benefits with the AJGA at no extra cost provides both a recruiting and a financial benefit to our coaches. This is a win – win for both the WGCA and the AJGA.”

As part of the new joint membership program available in 2018, WGCA member coaches can access the AJGA’s Coaches Corner, which houses important recruitment information such as contact information, swing videos and player resumes. WGCA members will also receive results from all AJGA tournaments, credentials and promotion on tournament scoreboards including on-site displays of TaylorMade-adidas Golf Live Scoring.

“Since 2007, we have seen our female membership grow by almost 75 percent,” said AJGA Executive Director Stephen Hamblin. “With that in mind, this partnership creates a perfect alignment with our mission to help junior golfers, especially girls, reach their dream of college golf. We look forward to providing opportunities for exposure to more college golf programs around the country.”

Over the past 10 years, more than 7,000 alumni have reported signing a National Letter of Intent to play college golf. The AJGA has implemented several strategies to continue to grow this number, including offering Senior Showcase events in December, coinciding with the college golf coaches’ conventions in Las Vegas, and February to give seniors who have not yet made a college golf decision the opportunity to showcase their interest. Ten of the past 11 NCAA Division I Women's Golf individual champions have been AJGA alumni.

About the Women’s Golf Coaches Association

The Women’s Golf Coaches Association, founded in 1983, is a non-profit organization representing women’s collegiate golf coaches. The WGCA was formed to encourage the playing of college golf for women in correlation with a general objective of education and in accordance with the highest tradition of intercollegiate competition. Today, the WGCA represents over 600 coaches throughout the U.S. and is dedicated to educating, promoting and recognizing both its members and the student-athletes they represent.    

About the AJGA

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 provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships, and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls, ages 12-19) of more than 6,600 members from 50 states and 55 foreign countries. Through initiatives like the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant, a financial assistance program, and Leadership Links, a service-oriented platform that teaches juniors charitable-giving skills, the AJGA fosters the growth of golf’s next generation.

TaylorMade-adidas Golf became the AJGA’s National Sponsor in 2016 after more than 25 years of support. Rolex, which is in its fourth decade of AJGA sponsorship, became the inaugural AJGA Premier Partner in 2004. In 2017, adidas joined the AJGA as a Premier Partner, serving as the Official Apparel and Footwear of the AJGA.

AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 830 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson, Webb Simpson, Sergio Garcia, Hunter Mahan, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Zach Johnson, Justin Thomas, Stacy Lewis, Ariya Jutanugarn, Alison Lee, Lexi Thompson, Inbee Park, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Cristie Kerr and Morgan Pressel.