Junior Golf: The First Step

By Topsy Siderowf

Five programs for others to emulate

Hershey Trust Company

Background: When chocolatier Milton S. Hershey established the Milton Hershey School in Pennsylvania in 1909 as a boarding school for needy kids, he didn't foresee that one day the curriculum would include golf. It's an option for all 1,700 students but required for some.

Owensboro, Ky.

Under the leadership of PGA professional Don Mitchell, 475 Owensboro youths get golf instruction and guidance year-round. The First Tee of Owensboro operates at Perfect Swing, the nine-hole junior course and practice facility Mitchell built with financial help from the community.

Major Henry S. Williams Jr.

Nothing makes Major Henry Williams prouder than to count the kids from his program who went to college. Participants in the Buffalo (N.Y.) Inner City Youth Fan Club for Golfing, founded by Williams in 1993, receive academic instruction and personal reinforcement along with golf.

TPC Twin Cities

Junior clinics and competitions for young members and Kids Day for more than 2,000 fourth- and fifth-graders from 12 area elementary schools are among programs at this private club in Blaine, Minn. Kids from five local First Tee chapters are encouraged to play at reduced green fees.

South Carolina Junior Golf

From free clinics at the grassroots level for Little Legends to a tour series for advanced players, nearly 3,000 juniors throughout the state participate in programs sponsored and funded by the SCJGA. The association also provides access to courses with special rates, free equipment and college aid.