Frequently Asked Questions

Please check with your golf association. Typically, memberships are valid for the calendar year (ending December 31).

Absolutely! If there are participating courses in an area you are visiting, you are welcome to use your membership there regardless of where you live.

You can not use your membership for tournaments or competitions. For practices with your team please contact your local golf association. Golf Camp use is not permitted.

No. Youth on Course does not cover range balls or carts, and we encourage our members to walk.

You must be at least 6 years old to join. You can stay a part of Youth on Course until your 19th birthday. We ask that young members please play with an adult for safety.

Yes. Many courses set time restrictions for when Youth on Course members can play for $5 or less. Please check the map for restrictions and call ahead to make a tee time.

Yes! Courses will ask you for your membership card at check-in. If you don’t have a card you can print a temporary one here.

No. You can use the card to play for $5 or less as many times as you would like so long as your membership number is active. Please check the course map for YOC availability at participating facilities.

Yes. After joining for the first time you will need to complete the online curriculum to activate your membership number. You will get the link via email to the online curriculum after joining, and it takes about 15 minutes to complete.

You must be at least 6 years old to join. You can stay a part of Youth on Course until your 19th birthday.

When you pay you will receive an email prompting you to take the curriculum, so pay first.

Having an active membership number means that you paid for the year and are able to use your membership. Your number can also be used to establish a handicap to use to track your progress. The USGA Handicap System helps make the game of golf more enjoyable by allowing golfers of differing abilities to compete on an equitable basis.

After you signup, you will receive an email with your number and a link to complete the online curriculum. If you already have a handicap number from another club be sure to sign up with that number to avoid being assigned a new one.

After joining, you will get a membership card with your unique membership number on it. Bring this to the course during the designated Youth on Course times and you will play for $5 or less.

It will take approximately 2 weeks to get a membership card. You can print one earlier than that here.
If you are a renewing member, please use your old membership card. YOC does not mail new cards each year.

Please check with your golf association. Typically, memberships are valid for the calendar year (ending December 31).

Absolutely! If there are participating courses in an area you are visiting, you are welcome to use your membership there regardless of where you live.

You can not use your membership for tournaments or competitions. For practices with your team please contact your local golf association. Golf Camp use is not permitted.

No. Youth on Course does not cover range balls or carts, and we encourage our members to walk.

Membership costs vary. The price is set in each region by the Allied Golf Association.
Please check with your local Allied Golf Association for the most updated YOC membership pricing or reach out to contact@youthoncourse.org.

We will cut a check for your facility once a month. Typically around the first week of a new month.

We have an online check in system that is really easy to use. Your course will set your custom login credentials and can begin checking in Youth on Course members in as little as 5 minutes.

Youth on Course members should bring in their official membership cards when they check in, but if they don’t, you will still be able to verify their membership in the course portal.

Often times glitches can be fixed by refreshing the webpage and logging out. If not, contact us.

No problem. When we set up your course as a facility YOU set the times that YOC members can play the course. Additionally, we also ask that members call ahead to courses to make tee times and to double-check availability.

Please contact us. We are happy to help.

No problem. When we set up your course as a facility YOU set the times that YOC members can play the course. Additionally, we also ask that members call ahead to courses to make tee times and to double-check availability.

Please visit the course portal and reset your password.

Youth on Course members should bring in their official membership cards when they check in, but if they don’t, you will still be able to verify their membership in the course portal.

We have an online check in system that is really easy to use. Your course will set your custom login credentials and can begin checking in Youth on Course members in as little as 5 minutes.

We will cut a check for your facility once a month. Typically around the first week of a new month.

Yes. After making your scholarship pledge you will be able to name your scholarship on behalf of your family, business, friend, etc.

Yes, however, we strongly encourage our scholarship donors to consider partnering with another donor to make a greater impact on our recipients. If needed, we are happy to facilitate those relationships. Either way, you will have the opportunity to meet the recipient of your scholarship at our annual luncheon and will be given personalized updates as they continue their education.

Yes! We host a wonderful event each year and all scholarship donors will be invited to meet their recipient in person.

Yes. We connect with the scholarship recipients each year to confirm eligibility and get updates which we then pass on to their scholarship donor.

Yes, we are a non-profit 501c3 organization, so all donations are tax deductible. Our Federal Tax ID Number is: 94-3108575

Our scholarships are typically $4,000 or more per student. Generally, donations are pledged and paid $1,000 a year for four years.

The NCGA covers most of our staff costs so the vast majority of charitable contributions directly impact youth through our programs.

Your donation will be used to subsidize green fees and provide support for additional work and educational opportunities for our members. We support youth and work with our partners in other regions to ensure the program is appropriately funded.

The First Tee introduces youth to the game, providing golf and life skills to better interact with adults and conduct themselves on the course.

Youth on Course compliments The First Tee by providing additional opportunities for kids. We allow kids in The First Tee and other programs the opportunity to play 1,400+ courses for $5 or less. We also offer need and merit-based opportunities in Northern California, such as the caddie program and paid high school internships. Youth on Course college scholarships are offered to all of our members in each participating region.

Youth on Course was born out of the Northern California Golf Association, and our offices are at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, CA.

Yes. You can instantly access our basic introduction to estate planning in our clear and concise video series, Estate Planning Help. The series takes you through the pros and cons of probate, wills, living trusts, advance health care directives, and other basic estate planning tools. Or you can download a computer-friendly version of our Estate Planning Organizer now.

Effective estate planning usually takes time, effort and a good attorney. In the end, your plan will allow your family to avoid the delay, dissension and needless expense that often occurs when a loved one dies without a Will. Once you have taken care of your family’s needs, please consider a thoughtful bequest to Youth on Course.

To order a hard copy of the estate planning organizer or request a computer friendly version sent to you by email, call 831-625-4653 or email jeff@youthoncourse.org.

The most common way people remember Youth on Course in a will or living trust is through a charitable bequest. You do not have to rewrite your current documents. You simply add an amendment, called a codicil, to your will or living trust. Here is some suggested language you can have your attorney review:

“I give devise and bequeath to Youth on Course (tax I.D. 94-3108575), located in Pebble Beach, California, the sum of __________ dollars ($ __________)(…or state a percentage of your estate, or describe real or personal property, including exact location) for the benefit of its general purposes (or specify Youth on Course program you wish to support).

Your bequest is entirely under your control during life and becomes irrevocable only at death.

A designation in your IRA or other retirement plan may be a very cost-effective way of making a gift to Youth on Course. If you leave your retirement plan to your children, they will have to pay income tax on either a lump sum distribution or the income stream from the plan. Youth on Course does not pay this tax.

Your bequest will help Youth on Course provide youth with access to life-changing opportunities for years to come. These opportunities include subsidized rounds of golf for more than 60,000 members at more than 1,200 facilities. Additionally, paid high-school internships, caddie opportunities and college scholarships allow young people to build a better future. A simple, revocable change in your will or living trust can transform lives through a sport you love.

Yes, we can provide you with estimates of the tax and income benefits you will receive if you take out a charitable gift annuity, or create a charitable remainder trust. We need to know the birth dates of those who will receive income from these charitable tools and the kind of gift you have in mind (cash, or real estate). These calculations are for educational purposes only and should be reviewed by qualified independent advisers of your choosing. For calculations confidentially provided, call 831-625-4653 or email jeff@youthoncourse.org.

There will be a caddie orientation. We will show you how to be a caddie – everything from how to rake the sand, how to answer questions golfers may have and how to fix the golf course as you go. We will set you up for success at our orientations.

In Northern California, there are several locations where you can caddie. If there are numerous locations near where you live, you are welcome to caddie at multiple locations.

Nope! You do not need to play golf or know anything about golf to be a caddie. At orientation, you will learn how to be a caddie and you will be prepared before going out on the course. All you need is a can-do attitude and a good pair of walking shoes.

Caddies will wear a uniform that we provide for a small fee. Underneath the uniform, you should wear comfortable shorts or pants and an appropriate t-shirt or collared shirt. Comfortable walking shoes are a must! You will be walking.

Fore-Caddying entails the caddie walking ahead while the players ride in carts. The fore-caddy will watch for the ball to land – making sure they spot it in long grass or tree areas – and point out its location to keep golfers moving along.

In golf, a caddie is a person who carries a player’s bag and clubs during a round of golf. Sometimes the caddie may give a golfer advice or moral support, but mainly a caddie is someone who is in charge of equipment.

Traditional caddying involves both the golfer and the caddie walking the course together. The caddie is in charge of carrying the player’s bag. The caddie is also responsible for taking care of the course as the players move through – raking sand and fixing spots on the green. (You will learn this at orientation!)

Please contact Devin Meheen – devin@youthoncourse.org – to discuss bringing the Youth on Course Caddie Program to your club.

Once you attend an orientation, you will be granted access to a booking app called CaddieNow. CaddieNow works a lot like Lyft or Uber, but for caddies. When a golfer is playing a round and wants to take a caddie, they go on CaddieNow and say “I need a caddie at XYZ course on Saturday at 9am.” All the caddies in the area that have attended an orientation will then receive a notification that a golfer is looking for a caddie. The first caddie to respond that they are available will get the loop. If you do a good job caddying, the golfer has the ability to request you first.

Loop is caddie-lingo for a round of golf. This can mean 9 or 18 holes of walking – which can be equivalent to about two to five miles. It generally takes between 2 and 5 hours to complete a loop, depending on the course, the players and the number of holes they play.

You can caddie as much or as little as you would like. If you are in a location with numerous courses that need caddies, you can also caddie at multiple locations which will help increase your loops. Loops will be available when golfers ask for them, so this may vary from day to day. Saturdays and Sundays will be bigger days for caddying.