"...a love of the game that will last a lifetime thanks to Youth on Course."
At the welcome dinner for the 100 Hole Hike event at The Hay in Pebble Beach, CA earlier this month, YOC Alumni Jack Deaner shared how his experience growing up with golf was heavily impacted by his Youth on Course membership.
Good Evening. I’d like to give you all a little background into my introduction to the game of golf, the role the sport has had on me, and the subtle, but strong, impact of Youth on Course. I was born and raised an athlete in Sacramento, California. Golf wasn’t my first love, but you could say I was a golf rat from the start. I stepped foot on a golf course for the first time on my 5th birthday, when my dad woke me up at 5 in the morning and walked me downstairs to a set of clubs that actually fit me, which I thought was an absolute upgrade from my grandpa’s full length 13 wood that I would wack around in his backyard before then. I remember we played at the local municipal course, Ancil Hoffman, which was 5 minutes away from our home. Though I didn’t know it at the time, Ancil would later become my second home, which I still call today.
My knack for the game soon grew, and with that, so did my love for it. In my early elementary years, my grandpa would pick me up from school and we’d go play as many holes at Ancil Hoffman as we could before nightfall. Then, as I moved into middle school and made friends that were equally crazy about golf as myself, we’d all get dropped off by our parents at Ancil on the weekends and spend all day at the course. Our curiosity for the game was so immense that we’d swap clubs and golf balls with each other to see what was best. I still remember playing with a Titleist Tour Balata for the first time and purposely missing the green, so I could hit full flop shots to see how much spin I could get on the greens. The best part about it was we never really cared about winning and losing. I don’t have any memories of making or missing a putt to win a match, or walking off the course disappointed because I shot 85. All I remember is the amount of fun we had trying to hit stingers that would stop on the green from 150 yards in the middle of the fairway, or comparing who could make the biggest divot with a wedge (side note: yes, you could say we were all a superintendent’s worst nightmare). And looking back, a majority of the guys that I played with for hours on end are playing at colleges around the country today.
CSUMB Otters Golf Classic - 10.18 - 10.19, 2021
And to be honest with you, I don’t think this would have been possible without Youth on Course. I’ve played close to 200 rounds using Youth on Course. And nearly every one of those rounds that I played, whether it be with my dad, grandpa, buddies, or people I’ve never met in my life have been through Youth on Course. We all know that golf is an expensive sport. And to become a high level player, resources are needed. So when I couldn’t charm my way to a free round at Ancil or other municipal courses in the area, I would use my Youth on Course membership.
So, as you all prepare yourselves to embark on this 100 Hole Hike, I’d like you to take a second to pause and reflect with me as to why you might be doing this. Give it about 5 seconds... Well, I can think of one great answer as to your why and he’s standing right in front of you. You might’ve guessed it... It’s me! I am a testament to what Youth on Course is all about. And it's not only my life that Youth on Course has positively affected, but all of my friends that I was able to play with. Whether my friends went on to play golf at the next level like myself, or if they came out to the course for some friendly banter and a couple of good shots, the moral of the story stays the same: we were all provided with a love of the game that will last a lifetime thanks to Youth on Course. Moreover, personal memories like going to the course after school and playing until it was so dark that I had to use the flashlight on my phone to putt, or the maturity gained from getting dropped off at Ancil Hoffman by my parents, using the Youth on Course discount to play with a couple of random people 3 times my age, and carrying a conversation with them for 4+ hours all contributed to the person I am today. I always like to think of the people that have helped me become the person I am, but those are always the people I encounter from a personal perspective. Sometimes there are other people that I don’t see on a regular basis that affect my life positively and I don’t even know it. Well, now I know who some of those people are and I’m standing in front of them. Thank you.
Before I leave, I feel that I could offer a couple of pointers to make your 100 hole hike more comfortable, as I’ve had many 10+ hour days on the course. I like to call it SEC. Sock changes, electrolytes, caffeine. I know that if I have those three things in my system, it’s an automatic 66.
Interested in becoming a part of the Youth on Course community?