USGA Awards $2.65 Million to Junior & Disabled Golfers

The United States Golf Association (USGA) has awarded 143 grants totaling $2,650,935 to support golf programs across the nation for economically-disadvantaged juniors and individuals with disabilities. The grant funds will be used for instruction, golf course and range access, equipment, transportation and the construction of accessible golf facilities.

The USGA has awarded more than $62.5 million since the association implemented the Grants Initiative, "For the Good of the Game," in 1997.

The USGA Grants Committee reviewed a record 160 applications at its May meeting. "The USGA is pleased that there has been a growing interest in the Grants Initiative," said USGA President Jim Vernon. "There are hundreds of organizations nationwide working to grow the game of golf for juniors and individuals with disabilities. We are proud to support these remarkable programs with USGA grant dollars."

USGA-Supported Program Highlights

Revelation Golf (Elk Grove, Ill.) Revelation Golf launched in 2005 with the mission of increasing the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual quality of life for children and adults with cancer or a physical disability, wounded veterans, and at-risk youth. The organization uses the game of golf to help participants become active members of the community. In 2007, the program reached nearly 500 participants through clinics and on-course activities throughout Illinois. Through the support of a USGA program grant, Revelation Golf will expand to reach an additional 150 participants and incorporate rehabilitation services along with golf lessons. The program works closely with Veterans Administration Hospitals throughout the state in order to serve injured military veterans and soldiers returning from Iraq.

Saint Augustine's College (Raleigh, N.C.) Saint Augustine's College is a first-time USGA grant recipient. It operates the Meadowbrook Junior Golf Program. The program is at Meadowbrook Golf Club, a course founded specifically for African-Americans during the time of segregation. The program was launched at the beginning of 2008 and will serve 100 children in Raleigh during its first year of operation. Saint Augustine's College recently assumed operational responsibilities for the course and plans to implement this junior golf program in order to encourage local children to become involved in the game and grow from its values, while creating a lasting relationship with the course. Participants will have access to Meadowbrook Golf Club outside of normal programming hours for $2 per round.

Tennessee Golf Foundation (Franklin, Tenn.) This USGA grant supports a unique initiative that will reach out to local military families. Approximately 48 kids from the Ft. Campbell military base will be given full scholarships to a golf camp this summer called "Screaming Eagles Week" at the Tennessee Golf Academy. The program provides instruction and playing opportunities. The Tennessee Golf Foundation feels it is important to give these kids the opportunity to take their minds off of the war and engage them in enriching golf activities. Many of the families on the base are single-parent households as more than 25,000 soldiers from Ft. Campbell have been deployed to Iraq.

Russian Jack Springs Junior Golf Association (Anchorage, Alaska) Russian Jack Springs Junior Golf Association was founded in 2005 and received its official chapter status as The First Tee of Alaska during that same year. The organization is only the second USGA-supported program in the state. The First Tee of Alaska operates junior golf programming at Russian Jack Springs Golf Course in Anchorage with the mission of impacting the lives of young people by providing programs that promote character development and life enhancing values through the game of golf. In 2007, during its first year of programming, The First Tee of Alaska served 400 children from the City of Anchorage. In 2008, the organization projects to grow significantly and reach 1,000 kids, including outreach to approximately 80 Special Olympics participants.

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 juniors and individuals with disabilities. The USGA Executive Committee has extended this grants initiative to 2013 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 Supporting the Game section of the USGA Web site at www.usga.org.

A complete list of programs receiving funding across the country, organized alphabetically by state:

Organization Name, City, State, Grant Amount

Challenge Alaska, Incorporated, Anchorage, Alaska, $4,170
Russian Jack Springs Junior Golf Association, Anchorage, Alaska, $20,000
The First Tee of Greater Alabama, Bessemer, Ala., $9,000
Boys and Girls Club of Ozark, Ozark, Ala., $16,000
Alma Area Boys and Girls Club, Alma, Ark., $1,150
Tiger Woods Foundation, Irvine, Calif., $150,000
Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce Charity Foundation, Los Angeles, $12,000
Del Rio CC Foundation, Modesto, Calif., $12,000
Valley Junior Golf Association, Murrieta, Calif., $20,000
Oak Run School District, Oak Run, Calif., $12,000
Kappa Golf Association, Sacramento, Calif., $6,000
San Jose Sports Authority, San Jose, Calif., $32,500
San Joaquin Junior Golf Foundation, Stockton, Calif., $9,000
Boys & Girls Club of Southwest County, Temecula, Calif., $4,000
Siskiyou Family YMCA, Yreka, Calif., $2,700
The Youth Foundation, Edwards, Colo., $40,000
Open Fairways, Highlands Ranch, Colo., $20,000
The First Tee of Greater Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C., $20,000
Girl Scout Council of the Nations Capital, Washington, D.C., $15,000
Urban Youth Golf Program Association, Rockland, Del., $29,000
Champions Junior Golf Tour, Sarasota, Fla., $30,000
Florida Adaptive Golf, South Trail, Fla., $60,000
Walton Foundation, Augusta, Ga., $5,260
Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Georgia, Brunswick, Ga., $15,000
DeKalb County, Decatur, Ga., $10,000
Women in Golf Foundation, Ellenwood, Ga., $20,000
Community Foundation, Macon, Ga., $3,540
Henry County Parks and Recreation, McDonough, Ga., $6,000
North Kohala Community Resource Center, Hawi, Hawaii, $12,500
Link Associates, Des Moines, Iowa, $1,075
First Tee of the City of Aurora, Aurora, Ill., $17,500
Housing Authority of Champaign County, Champaign, Ill., $3,400
New Hope Community Baptist Program, Chicago, Ill., $10,000
The First Tee of Chicago Foundation, Chicago, Ill., $17,500
New Hope Community Service Center, Chicago, Ill., $29,500
Revelation Golf, Elk Grove, Ill., $45,000
George Bell Youth Opportunity Fund, Libertyville, Ill., $5,600
Dupage A.M.E Church, Lisle, Ill., $12,000
Proviso-Leyden Council for Community Action, Maywood, Ill., $12,000
The Great River First Tee, Quincy, Ill., $15,000
City of Rock Island Parks and Recreation Department, Rock Island, Ill., $3,500
Boys & Girls Club of Springfield, Springfield, Ill., $12,100
Indiana Golf Foundation, Franklin, Ind., $10,000
Boys and Girls Club of Greater Goshen, Goshen, Ind., $4,410
Decatur County Family YMCA, Greensburg, Ind., $2,400
Positive Swing, Southport, Ind., $29,000
Buddie's Buddies, Mission, Kan., $5,295
Community Action, Topeka, Kan., $12,000
Native American Junior Golf Association, Topeka, Kan., $25,000
Owensboro Junior Golf Foundation, Owensboro, Ky., $35,000
City of New Bedford, New Bedford, Mass., $1,940
Baltimore Municipal Golf Corporation, Baltimore, Md., $3,430
The Salvation Army, Baltimore Area Command, Baltimore, Md., $10,000
City of Baltimore, Baltimore, Md., $6,250
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., $50,000
The First Tee of Howard County, Columbia, Md., $6,710
Children & Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Landover, Md., $6,000
Kids Rock, Ocean City, Md., $2,500
Northern Maine Development Commission, Caribou, Maine, $5,000
The Midnight Golf Program, Detroit, Mich., $46,900
Capitol Area Golf For Youths, Lansing, Mich., $5,430
Monroe County Area 34 Special Olympics, Monroe, Mich., $3,300
Traverse City Junior Golf Association, Traverse City, Mich., $10,000
Courage Center, Duluth, Minn., $4,250
Three Rivers Park District, Plymouth, Minn., $25,000
Hmong Youth Education Services, Saint Paul, Minn., $2,450
Saint Paul Junior Golf Program, Shakopee, Minn., $17,500
Triple "A" Youth Foundation, St. Louis, Mo., $32,000
Meridian Junior Golf Association, Meridian, Miss., $25,000
Life Skills FORE Montana Youth, Billings, Mont., $12,000
Walter T. Morgan Service Foundation, Cornelius, N.C., $8,630
Saint Augustine's College, Raleigh, N.C., $15,000
Special Olympics North America, Raleigh, N.C., $35,000
The Carol S. Petrea Youth Golf Foundation, Shallotte, N.C., $15,000
The First Tee Chapter of the Sandhills, Pinebluff, N.C., $15,000
Junior Golfer Assistance Program, Wilmington, N.C., $20,000
Impact Foundation, Fargo, N.D., $13,000
Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, N.H., $9,000
The ARC of Atlantic County, Egg Harbor Township, N.J., $4,800
Hoboken Board of Education, Hoboken, N.J., $13,380
Jersey Shore Junior Golf, Manasquan, N.J., $27,000
New Jersey After 3, New Brunswick, N.J., $10,000
Township of Pemberton, Pemberton, N.J., $10,000
Greater Trenton Junior Golf, West Trenton, N.J., $27,500
San Juan College Foundation, Kirtland, N.M., $28,000
New Choices, Las Vegas, N.M., $13,000
Life Skills Fore Youth of the Pecos Valley, Roswell, N.M., $34,000
Southern Nevada Junior Golf Association, Henderson, Nev., $40,000
Northern Nevada Youth Golf Foundation, Reno, Nev., $20,000
City Parks Foundation, Corona, N.Y., $25,000
The First Tee of Western New York, East Concord, N.Y., $3,000
Metropolitan Golf Association Foundation - Fairchild Wheeler, Elmsford, N.Y., $24,000
Metropolitan Golf Association Foundation - Essex County, Elmsford, N.Y., $25,000
Boys and Girls Club of Western Broome, Endicott, N.Y., $9,000
Henrietta Foundation, Henrietta, N.Y., $5,000
Mount Vernon Boys and Girls Club, Mount Vernon, N.Y., $9,000
Parks Junior Golf Foundation, Rochester, N.Y., $12,000
Edwin Shaw Hospital - Challenge Golf, Akron, Ohio, $14,500
The First Tee of Akron, Akron, Ohio, $10,000
Tony Yates Caring for Kids Foundation, Cincinnati, Ohio, $10,000
Cleveland Metroparks System, Cleveland, Ohio, $14,000
The First Tee of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio, $25,000
Fore Hope, Columbus, Ohio, $75,000
YMCA of Greater Dayton, Dayton, Ohio, $6,000
ViaQuest Foundation, Dublin, Ohio, $26,500
Bob Kramer Youth Golf Academy, Middletown, Ohio, $15,000
Boys and Girls Clubs of Lorain County, Oberlin, Ohio, $9,000
Muskingum Family Y, Zanesville, Ohio, $5,150
The Chickasaw Nation, Ada, Okla., $13,500
Rainbow Youth Golf Education Program, Chiloquin, Ore., $1,500
Glen Mills School, Concordville, Pa., $10,000
The First Tee of Southwest Pennsylvania, Beaver Falls, Pa., $12,000
Harrisburg Parks Partnership, Harrisburg, Pa., $5,000
Kids-on-the-Hill, Maple Glen, Pa., $7,000
The Greater Philadelphia Scholastic Golf Association, Philadelphia, Pa., $45,000
The Greater Philadelphia Scholastic Golf Association, Philadelphia, Pa., $80,000
Institute for International Sport, Kingston, R.I., $31,250
SharedCare, Myrtle Beach, S.C., $30,000
The First Tee of Chattanooga, Chattanooga, Tenn., $30,000
The First Tee of Chattanooga, Chattanooga, Tenn., $100,000
Tennessee Golf Foundation, Franklin, Tenn., $16,000
W.C. Two, Knoxville, Tenn., $34,000
United States Blind Golf Association, Nashville, Tenn., $6,000
The Greater Brownsville Junior Golf Foundation, Brownsville, Texas, $30,000
Texas Golf Association Foundation, Dallas, Texas, $30,000
Roaring Lambs International Junior Golf Association, Dallas, Texas, $15,000
Project Still I Rise, Dallas, Texas, $15,000
Fort Worth Junior Golf Foundation, Fort Worth, Texas, $30,000
Central Texas Players Golf Association, Killeen, Texas, $12,000
Piney Woods Golf Youth and Development Foundation, Longview, Texas, $25,000
Lubbock Boys & Girls Club, Lubbock, Texas, $9,000
Boys & Girls Club of Utah County, Provo, Utah, $50,000
Salt Lake City Corporation, Salt Lake City, Utah, $12,000
West Valley City Parks and Recreation - Family Fitness Center, West Valley City, Utah, $7,000
City of Charlottesville Department of Parks and Recreation, Charlottesville, Va., $5,000
YMCA of South Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach, Va., $27,500
Seattle Junior Golf Foundation, Seattle, Wash., $16,000
Learning Through Golf Foundation, Green Bay, Wis., $40,000
Madison Junior Golf Foundation, Madison, Wis., $20,000
Madison Metro Youth Golf Initiative, Madison, Wis., $4,000
Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee, Wis., $5,225
United Community Center, Milwaukee, Wis., $4,740
Ohio Valley Golf Association, Elm Grove, W.Va., $12,000