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| PGA of America is Dedicated to Growing the Game of Golf | by PGA.com news services
From coast to coast, The PGA of America touches all aspects of golf. The more than 27,000 men and women PGA Professionals are teachers, mentors and companions to the millions of people who play the game and to those who want to learn.
"You can't overemphasize The PGA's commitment to growing the game of golf," says PGA President Jack Connelly, the head professional at Huntingdon Valley (Pa.) Country Club. "That's the most important objective this organization is dedicated to achieving and we're proud to be at the forefront of growing the game."
PGA Professionals are the teachers and promoters of the game at the grassroots level, providing encouragement to millions of amateur players and enhancing their enjoyment of the game in the process.
The PGA of America was founded in 1916 to enhance the stature of its members and bring standards of professionalism to the everyday conduct of the game. Over the decades, The PGA of America has taken a central role in the game's development. While the Association conducts four of the game's most important professional events – the PGA Championship, the Senior PGA Championship, the Ryder Cup Matches and the PGA Grand Slam of Golf – the members of The PGA of America also touch the lives of amateur and professional golfers and make sure that anyone who wants to play the game has a place to do so.
"Sometimes we forget what a profound effect it can have every time a PGA Professional gives a golf lesson to a new player," says Connelly.
The PGA funds junior golf programs across the country to ensure that young people of all races and socio-economic backgrounds have access to the game. The Association supports programs such as the National Minority Golf Scholarship Program, Special Olympics International and the International Amputee Golf Association, and is a leading supporter of the First Tee initiative, which is dedicated to building affordable golf facilities for junior hopefuls.
It also supports the Urban Youth Golf Program, Midnight Golf, the Police Athletic League, the National Youth Sports Program, and the Golf in Schools program, which has introduced more than 600,000 students throughout the United States to the game of golf.
PGA Professionals are drawing thousands of diverse golfers into the game, thanks to a new $2 million PGA Growth of the Game grant program. Initiated by The PGA through the PGA Foundation, the program is reaching kids, women, young adults and golfers with disabilities nationwide.
"Our members, the PGA Professionals across the country, have a passion for their work. They are committed to passing on the values and traditions of this great game to new players and generations," Connelly says. "The goal of the PGA Foundation is to support their efforts in this area. These grants represent a sustained effort to increase and diversify participation in golf."
Some of the 30-plus grant recipients to date include the Native American Junior Golf Association in Mayetta, Kan., Golf & Grades Youth Program in Wilmington, Del., and Pro Kids Golf Academy & Learning Center in San Diego. Golf: For Business & Life is a growth-of-the-game initiative designed to acquaint college students with the business opportunities that golf provides as a game for life. PGA Professionals teach the program.
Link Up 2 Golf is another example of the leadership role The PGA and its members play in growing the game. Link Up 2 Golf, a collaborative effort between The PGA and the National Golf Course Owners Association, is a three-phase approach to introducing players to the game. This affordably-priced program includes an orientation, six hours of group instruction and on-course playing experiences.
The PGA Junior Series, which debuted in the summer of 1996, provides affordable and competitive playing opportunities for boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 17. Now in its seventh year, the PGA Junior Series has hosted events across the country. The 2002 Series featured seven new sites and an 11-state, coast-to-coast schedule. Season standings winners in all four divisions earn berths in the Westfield Junior PGA Championship, the premier junior golf event of the year.
Dating back to 1976, the Junior PGA Championship has featured a number of competitors who went on to success in professional golf, including Billy Andrade, Brandie Burton, Stewart Cink, Jim Furyk, Justin Leonard, Michelle McGann, Phil Mickelson, Grace Park, Dottie Pepper, Scott Verplank and Tiger Woods.
The PGA is proud to sanction the annual Buick Scramble, the world's largest amateur golf tournament. This year's Buick Scramble teed off in February with approximately 2,000 local championship tournaments. Participants compete as four-person teams in a scramble-type format with local winners advancing, along with their respective host PGA Professional, to one of 130 regional championships. Winners at the regional level advance to the national finals at Walt Disney World, October 2-6. Tiger Woods is honorary chairman of the 2002 Buick Scramble and is scheduled to participate in the awards ceremony at the finals.
PGA.com, The PGA's officials web site, is the point of contact for the entire golf community – from golfers to industry insiders, to PGA Professionals. Hosted by Turner Sports Interactive, the site offers multimedia golf news, services, instruction tips and features. PGA.com also provides the official sites for all of The PGA's championship events.
The PGA and Golf Digest promote the game each May, during the growth-of-the-game promotion, "Play Golf America." Thousands of PGA Professionals conduct free 10-minute individual lessons at their courses to help amateur golfers improve their game.
In recent years, The PGA has acquired and developed numerous world-class golf properties, including Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., and PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Fla. These properties serve as model facilities within the industry and allow the Association to host many of its own championships.
PGA Golf Club, the first PGA-owned-and-operated public golf facility, boasts superior service and award-winning courses designed by Tom Fazio and Pete Dye. Located at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Fla., PGA Golf Club's courses were lauded in this year's edition of Golf Digest's Places to Play. The Club also offers programs geared to juniors and women.
Next to PGA Golf Club is the first PGA Learning Center, a prototype facility that accommodates golfers of all skill levels. This 35-acre, state-of-the-art facility features putting greens and courses, chipping areas, a variety of bunker styles and more than 100 practice stations, helping visitors learn the game under the guidance of PGA Professionals.
Wherever there is golf, from the very private clubs to the very public courses, from practice ranges to golf shops, you can count on one thing – The PGA of America is involved, and in a very big way.
Copyright © 2002 Official Ryder Cup Journal. All rights reserved.
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