(AKRON, Ohio) First Tee - Greater Akron and Mud Run Golf Course & Driving Range partner with Youth on Course, the non-profit organization providing life-changing opportunities on and off the golf course to young people nationwide.
Thanks to this partnership, junior golfers may now play the course for $1 per round. The addition of First Tee - Greater Akron and Mud Run Golf Course & Driving Range allows families of all backgrounds affordable access to a premier facility to enjoy the game of golf without the financial burden. Through on-course accessibility, YOC’s goal is to open doors of opportunity for young people through golf and provide them with more opportunities to learn the unique life lessons that are delivered in a way only the golf course can offer.
“The Northern Ohio Golf Association is excited to bring Youth on Course to Northern Ohio to benefit junior golfers,” says Northern Ohio Golf Association CEO, Robb Schulze. “With the help of our friends at the Northern Ohio PGA and new course partners like the First Tee – Greater Akron, we are getting out of the gate strong and are off to a great start.”
“First Tee – Greater Akron and Mud Run Golf Course & Driving Range are honored to be the first Youth on Course facility in Northeast Ohio,” says Jeff O’Brien, Executive Director of First Tee – Greater Akron. “Partnering with Youth on Course and the Northern Ohio Golf Association aligns with our goals and gives everyone the opportunity to play the game we love.”
Juniors nationwide ages 6-18 may sign up for a Youth on Course membership at www.youthoncourse.org/join.
"As Mayor, and also as a golfer myself, I'm truly excited about this new partnership and what it means for Akron's kids," said Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan. "Increasing recreational opportunities by removing financial barriers for the kids is a win for everyone. Golf can provide valuable tools for life such as interpersonal skills, self-management, goal setting, and resiliency. Being able to make that more accessible for children of all backgrounds through this partnership is a huge success for our community."
“Our collective effort to increase access to affordable golf at the ground level makes our impact even greater for our families and to grow the game as a whole,” says Michael Lowe, Youth on Course VP of Programs. “This new partnership sends another strong message across the industry demonstrating how facilities can open their doors to more young people and families, remain profitable and make a larger impact in the communities they serve.”
The organization has assembled a list of notable courses including Bethpage State Park Golf Courses, Pinehurst Resort, Pebble Beach Links and other top 100 courses YOC members have access to play. For individual courses looking to join Youth on Course’s network, general managers and head professionals can sign up their facilities by filling out an online interest form. In return, facilities will receive subsidies for each round played at $5 or less during one of the designated times for Youth on Course members.
Fueling the golf industry, Youth on Course subsidizes rounds for members and puts money back into allied golf associations and individual courses. The organization’s structure helps golf courses fill typically unused tee times and garner additional revenue with more than 40% of members playing with paying adults. Youth on Course has more than 100,000 active members across North America who have played more than one million subsidized rounds of golf. The amount reimbursed back to participating courses has almost doubled in the past year reaching close to $400,000 this year alone and totaling nearly $8 million dating back to 2005.
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About Youth on Course
The core purpose of Youth on Course is to help young people grow and succeed both on and off the course by providing opportunities to play, learn, grow, and build relationships through affordable, inclusive access to play. More than 100,000 members play more than 1,400 golf courses for $5 or less, benefit from career opportunities through the caddie and internship program and receive college scholarships. Headquartered in Pebble Beach, Youth on Course is a 501(c)3 organization that began as the charitable arm of the Northern California Golf Association. Since 2006, more than one million subsidized rounds have been played by Youth on Course members and more than $2 million has been awarded in college scholarships. Across North America, Youth on Course serves all of the United States of America and parts of Canada.
About First Tee - Greater Akron
First Tee — Greater Akron is one of 150 First Tee chapters across the U.S. and select international locations. First Tee is a youth development organization that enables kids to build the strength of character that empowers them through a lifetime of new challenges. By seamlessly integrating the game of golf with a life skills curriculum, we create active learning experiences that build inner strength, self-confidence and resilience that kids can carry to everything they do. First Tee — Greater Akron reaches kids and teens through programs delivered at 3 program locations, 55 schools and 10 Akron community centers. In 2020, First Tee – Greater Akron directly impacted 22,338 kids in the community. Learn more at www.firstteeakron.org.
About Mud Run Golf Course & Driving Range
Mud Run Golf Course & Driving Range is home to a 9-hole course designed by Craig Schreiner, ASGCA, which sits on 85 acres surrounded by wetlands and woods and has been referred to as a slice of North Carolina “low country” golf. The par-34 golf course can accommodate beginner golfers to the most skilled players and features a practice facility which includes Akron’s best driving range and two (2) practice putting/chipping greens. The facility serves as the home for First Tee – Greater Akron. Learn more at www.golfakroncity.com/mud-run.
About the Northern Ohio Golf Association
The Northern Ohio Golf Association (NOGA) is Ohio’s largest governing body for amateur golf, representing 171 clubs and approximately 27,000 individual golfers across all of Northern Ohio and parts of Southeast Michigan. Founded in 1917, the NOGA is dedicated to serving its growing membership through continually expanding member programs and interclub competition, in addition to supporting charitable initiatives to grow the game. As an Allied Golf Association of the United States Golf Association, the NOGA is the region’s go-to provider of USGA Core Services, including GHIN and Handicapping, Course Rating, and the administration of the USGA Championship Qualifying, the Rules of Golf and Amateur Status. To learn more, visit NOGA.org.