College Golf

Travel just got easier for more than 50 HBCU college golf programs

February 10, 2022
/content/dam/images/golfdigest/fullset/2022/2/hbcu-united-travel-grants-pga-tour.jpg

Golfers at Winston-Salem State hold boarding cards to help celebrate the new travel grant program initiated by the PGA Tour and United Airlines.

Putting together a challenging tournament schedule is tricky business for any college golf program, but particularly so for schools with tight travel budgets. Coaches often are forced to pick only events within driving distance of campus, limiting the potential competition their players can face.

Such is often the case at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. However, a new program unveiled this week by the PGA Tour and United Airlines will offer HBCU schools the opportunity to fly to tournaments, giving men’s and women’s teams at these school the chance to compete in higher-profile events.

More than $500,000 in grants will be awarded to 51 HBCU golf programs in 2022, with each school receiving $10,000 in travel credits. The grant program will reach more than 250 college golfers, collectively, according to the PGA Tour.

Winston-Salem State University brought back its golf program last fall after a 10-year hiatus, but with a limited schedule. According to head coach Charles Penny II, the grant program will make a significant impact in getting the sport back up and running. “This past fall, we were only able to play one tournament due to limitations in our travel budget,” Penny said. “This fall, we will be able to add close to four.”

United is the first sponsor to support the PGA Tour’s HBCU Grant Program, which was created in 2021 out of discussions at the tour on how to utilize its partner network to offset financial issues at HBCU golf programs.

“We have made a pledge to help diversify the landscape of competitive golf,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in a press release, “and this collaboration between United Airlines and these colleges and universities will be a significant step towards leveling the playing field and enhancing the student-athlete experience along the way.”

Here are the schools that will receive the grants:

Men’s Golf

Alabama A&M University

Alabama State University

Bishop State Community College

Bluefield State College

Chicago State University

Elizabeth City State University

Fayetteville State University

Fisk University

Florida A&M University

Howard University

Jarvis Christian College

Johnson C. Smith University

Kentucky State University

LeMoyne-Owen College

Lincoln University

Livingstone College

Miles College

Morehouse College

North Carolina A&T State University

North Carolina Central University

Prairie View A&M University

Saint Augustine's University

Savannah State University

Talladega College

Tennessee State University

Texas Southern University

University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff

University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Virginia State University

Virginia Union University

West Virginia State University

Wilberforce University

Winston-Salem State University

Women’s Golf

Alabama State University

Bethune-Cookman University

Bishop State Community College

Bluefield State College

Chicago State University

Delaware State University

Fisk University

Howard University

Jarvis Christian College

Lincoln University

North Carolina A&T State University

North Carolina Central University

Prairie View A&M University

Savannah State University

Tennessee State University

Texas Southern University

University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Wilberforce University