Last month Youth on Course hosted the annual Vintage Cup Golf Tournament at Monterey Peninsula Country Club. This annual event is an important part of YOC’s main fundraising efforts to subsidize rounds of golf for nearly 140,000 active members and this year, participants were fortunate enough to hear from two former members and current alumni.
Ethan Sipple and JT Byrne grew up on the Monterey Peninsula and through the pandemic found themselves in one of the only places that remained open, the golf course. Ethan, who is now a staff member with Urban Golf Performance became a YOC member at a very early age and golf continued to play a significant role in his life for years to come. An unexpected move to Florida, where at the time, Youth on Course did not have a large presence, impacted Ethan in a significant way. “Losing my access to golf at such a time I needed the game the most really took a toll on me, thankfully I was able to move back to Carmel in 2020 and find my love for the game again & gain so many opportunities in the community around me.”
As Ethan returned to Carmel, his friend and classmate, a three sport athlete at Carmel High School, JT Byrne found himself without his traditional schedule full of various practices due to the pandemic and began a new hobby and way to spend his days. “When Covid hit, golf and Youth on Course were my savior, I learned the importance of finding a way to socialize and compete on a more relaxed level.” JT is now in his sophomore year at Cal where he will be on the field for the Golden Bears come football season but his love for golf continues to grow.
We are grateful for these two young men and their willingness to share their stories and how YOC impacted their lives.
