By Greg Johnson
Junior golfer after junior golfer playing in Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) tournaments this summer reported they were also members of Youth on Course.
“It’s really for everybody,” said 13-year-old Lauren Timpf of Macomb. “You don’t have to play in tournaments. My dad is a very good golfer and my sister Kate comes with us to play. She is 10 and not into tournaments, but she likes to play with us. It makes golf for our family cheaper. Youth on Course works for everyone. You play golf for $5 and you are having fun. It’s a win-win.”
Youth on Course is a national non-profit grow-the-game program implemented and subsidized in Michigan by the GAM Foundation. It allows youngsters ages 6-18 to play golf for $5 or less at participating courses around the state.
The most recent numbers available reveal there are over 6,800 members this year through the Golf Association of Michigan’s Youth on Course support program, which is up from the 4,261 members in 2019 in Michigan.
Over 24,000 rounds have been played this year at 108 participating Michigan golf courses, up from 9,900 last year and the $185,000 in subsidies paid to those participating golf courses this year is well over $100,000 more than all of last year.
Chris Whitten, executive director of the GAM, said Youth on Course has grown tremendously in Michigan.
“The GAM Foundation is so proud to bring Youth on Course to Michigan with the amount of participation we have seen,” he said. “When many activities were considered unsafe for kids this summer, golf filled a big void for a lot of families. We saw growth over 100 percent.”
For the second consecutive year Whitten took part in the 100 Hole Hike fundraiser for Youth on Course on Sept. 29. Last year via pledges he raised more than $4,000. He had just returned from a week-long golf trip to England but made it through the 100 holes well before sundown. He walked 44,738 steps for 20.2 miles with three socks changes and one change of golf shoes. He admitted his feet were sore but called it a great day.
“Those of us who are regular golfers know it’s the game of a lifetime that teaches fantastic life lessons and were thrilled to be able to help more kids play more often through Youth on Course,” he said.
Youth on Course, based in Southern California but now implemented nationwide, recently reported 104,189 members across the country. Those members had played 289,088 rounds so far this year at 1,432 partner courses. Over $2,034,074 had been reimbursed to the courses for their Youth on Course rounds.
Youth on Course said many of the golf association partners like the GAM Foundation have seen an increase of 50 to 200 percent mainly because golf has been seen as a safe outdoor activity.
“I think it also encourages a lot more people to just get out and play golf,” Timpf said. “I see more youth coming to play all the time, not just the other kids who play in tournaments like me. For $5 you get to play golf. I get to practice and play a lot and it helps make that possible.”
