JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT
YOUTH ON COURSE
Creating the golfers of tomorrow by providing children with a fun, accessible and positive golfing experience.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Youth On Course is a simple concept – enabling children to access and play golf at a subsidised rate of $5 at participating golf courses across Australia.
Youth on Course began in 2006 in the United States as a solution to a disconnect golf faced for juniors in Northern California. While youth programs had sprouted up and were successfully helping teach juniors the basics of the game, the cost to play prevented those same young golfers from being able to take their skills onto the course.
To address this issue, the Northern California Golf Association (NCGA) developed a unique model for local kids which started by giving them access to play Poppy Hills Golf Course, home of the NCGA, for just $5.
With the help of passionate and generous individuals willing to give their time, energy and money to benefit the lives of young people through golf, Youth on Course now serves more than 140,000 members who have access to play golf at nearly 2,000 courses across the US and Canada.
Through collaboration between Golf Australia and Youth on Course, the program is now being rolled out across Australia, with the aim of making the game more accessible for all children and become the next generation of lifelong players and lovers of the game.
OUR GOAL
Our goal is to have 15,000 children across Australia playing 60,000 rounds annually by 2025.
We want at least a third of these participants to have a handicap and be tracking their scores and improving their golf.
WHY WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT
Junior participation is the lifeblood of any sport.
The MyGolf program has been Australian Golf’s national introductory junior program since 2014 and is now introducing over 30,000 kids to the sport. We need to be able to transition these kids to playing on course and becoming golfers for life by removing any financial barriers that may exist.
Our average club member age continues to climb and more alarmingly, there are less than 4% of club members across the country that are juniors (under the age of 18).
Golf is often perceived as a sport with significant financial barriers to participation. We will change this by partnering with facilities across the country to reduce the cost of participation to $5 per round for juniors.
OUR VISION FOR CHANGE
To introduce tens of thousands of children to the game each year who will become the next generation of lifelong golfers through providing them with a fun, accessible and positive experience.
WHAT WILL BE OUR IMPACT
Currently, there are around 650,000 Australian children aged between 5-17 participating in some form of golf.
However, there are only just over 15,000 junior club members, which indicates a significant gap between the offerings within the golfing marketplace and how young golfers and their parents are wanting to engage in the game.
We want to double the number of junior club members to 30,000 by 2025.
WHAT INVESTMENT IS REQUIRED
Every $10,000 raised will enable 2,000 rounds to be provided to children at a subsidised rate of $5.
An investment of $300,000 per year is required by 2025 to subsidise 60,000 Youth on Course rounds across the country with a focus on low socio economic areas.
TESTIMONIALS
Aaron Muirhead
General Manager
“Oxley Golf Club is proud to be one of the first clubs in Queensland to sign up to be a partner of the Youth on Course program delivered by Golf Australia. This program will be a wonderful platform to encourage more kids to pick up clubs and to start their golfing journey. We look forward to seeing many more kids and their parents enjoying this great game at Oxley and playing the game for life.”
Zeb Connors
Club Operations Manager
"East Geelong Golf Club visions the opportunity in our tight-knit community to welcome all abilities to enjoy this great game called golf. We believe our youth are the future, as a club we want to empower our youth to be active and involved in this beautiful game. That is why we are proud to partner with GA and YOC to commit to grow the game for our next and future generations. We have facilities to encourage a fun and supportive environment, and most importantly to be a welcoming environment for all to join."
Glenn Luff
Golf Operations Manager
“Clublinks Management is committed to grow the game of golf in the Darebin community at Bundoora Park and Northcote Golf Courses. The Youth on Course program will assist our vision in bringing the next generation of golfers through and to thrive at our facilities.”
Sudeera Botejue
Facility Manager
“Regency Park Community Golf Course has a vision to create a genuine community golf-based facility that welcomes all to enjoy the game of golf. Our partnership with GA and YOC reflects our commitment to growing the game for our next generation; in facilities that are reflective of our communities, that are welcoming, fun and most importantly welcome all.”
Dianne Hunnibell
Board Member
“Kingston Beach Golf Club is a distinctive and progressive club with a determined mind-set of inclusiveness and friendship. We welcome the opportunity to partner with Golf Australia and Youth on Course as a further stepping stone toward creating friendships, opportunities and golfing dreams for the younger generations.”
Lisa Stenlund
Gardens Park Golf Links Management Team
“Gardens Park Golf Links is very excited to start the partnership with GA & YOC. We hope to see a growing number of juniors playing down at the gardens and the other courses in the NT. Our golf course is relaxed and friendly place where everyone is welcome to play. It’s the perfect spot to take up golf and to start loving the game.”
DONATE TO YOUTH ON COURSE
Every donation helps ensure that Australian golf will thrive into the future.
Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible and can be made via the Australian Sports Foundation who is our official fundraising partner and is the only deductible gift recipient for sport in Australia.