(PEBBLE BEACH, Calif.) – Youth on Course – the non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the landscape of golf and the lives of young people who play the game – has partnered with TaylorMade Golf Company to provide further access to the game along with mentorship and support from industry professionals with the ultimate goal of increasing diversity amongst the golf industry at large.

The newly-minted initiative, known as The DRIVE Club (an acronym for Diversity. Respect. Inclusion. Voice. Equity.), highlights a special subset of the Youth on Course (YOC) membership that will earn additional benefits through their commitment to play. Furthermore, the YOC and TaylorMade partnership aims to inspire its members through camaraderie and an all-encompassing team-like atmosphere.

The 55 members of the DRIVE Club, who reside in select markets for phase one of the initiative, will have access to play Youth on Course partner facilities for just $1 starting today. Club members can also earn TaylorMade equipment and gear simply by playing a game they love. The more they play, the more they earn.

Additionally, this partnership aims to help DRIVE Club members hone their skills on the course, with complimentary lessons provided by TaylorMade staff professionals at various locations, including the acclaimed Pebble Beach Resort. 

A complete listing of the staff professionals providing lessons in the Northern California and Chicago markets includes Donn Achen, Michael An, Norman Blanco, Doug Brazeau, Dave Carr, Deven DeLuca, Kevin Hanssen, Chris Hatzke, Jefferey Johnson, Pat Jones, Ross Krooeker, Eric Lippert, Matt Mores, Joe Moulton, Nick Papadakes, Tim Pulley, Greg Rodgers, Dave Singh, Laird Small, John Snopkowski and Joseph Stafford.

Members are outstanding kids who participate in community service, are academically strong and are committed to making the game of golf more inclusive.

2021 Team TaylorMade DRIVE Club Members (in alphabetical order)

Andrade, Daniela – San Jose, Calif.

Archambault, Charlie – Chicago, Ill.

Atakilit, Lucas – Hercules, Calif.

Benjamin, Joaquin – Oakland, Calif.

Bouphasavanh, Nicholas – San Bruno, Calif.

Boyce, Douglas – Palos Heights, Ill.

Chavez, Isaac – San Mateo, Calif.

Chiong, Micah – Arlington Heights, Ill.

Collier, Adam – Hanover Park, Ill.

Cruz, Koa – Schaumburg, Ill.

Davis, Christian – Chicago, Ill.

De Casas, Omar – Hayward, Calif.

Estrada, Miguel – Menlo Park, Calif.

Faruki, Zuhair – Walnut Creek, Calif.

Foltyniewicz, Reid – Lombard, Ill.

Herrera, Isabella – San Jose, Calif.

Hooper, Hazel – Pacifica, Calif.

Johnson, Kenneth – Antioch, Calif.

Jungels, Patrick – Frankfort, Ill.

Kantor, Ethan – San Francisco, Calif.

Kim, Leonie – Cupertino, Calif.

Kim, Mason – Chicago, Ill.

Kittivat, Peyton – Schaumburg, Ill.

Lau, Jet – Daly City, Calif.

Lau, Suri – Union City, Calif.

Lee, Olivia – Fairfield, Calif.

Lee, Sophia – Fairfield, Calif.

Lee, Tabitha – San Francisco, Calif.

Lim, Alyssa – Union City, Calif.

Loo, Malia – Millbrae, Calif.

McLear, Jackson – Oakland, Calif.

Mtchona, Francis – Oakland, Calif.

Paek, Isaiah – Northbrook, Ill.

Page, Marcus – Cupertino, Calif.

Phillips-Alberto, Keanu – Antioch, Calif.

Preap, Brenna – Stockton, Calif.

Pugh, Emery – San Ramon, Calif.

Quan, Calvin – Redwood City, Calif.

Raoul, Ahmad – Chicago, Ill.

Regacho, Apollo – Hayward, Calif.

Reynolds, Anaya – San Leandro, Calif.

Rivas, Mariah – Santa Rosa, Calif.

Sarabia, Manuel – San Francisco, Calif.

Shipinski, Magnus – Elmwood Park, Ill.

Sosa, Sloane – Novato, Calif.

Spendov, Lola – Mill Valley, Calif.

Sutikto, Belinda – Fremont, Calif.

Sutikto, Borina – Fremont, Calif.

Turner, Henry – Chicago, Ill.

Veluthakkal, Krish – Walnut Creek, Calif.

Viswanathan, Maya – Pleasanton, Calif.

White, Adam – Fairfield, Calif.

Xu, Ashlee – Mountain House, Calif.

Yang, Julianne – Alameda, Calif.

Young, Jacob – Belmont, Calif.

 

“DRIVE Club is important to TaylorMade for many reasons,” says TaylorMade CEO David Abeles. “The betterment of the game is central to who we are, and we fully embrace that responsibility. It goes beyond engineering the highest performance equipment to help people play better golf. There’s a human and social element that we lean into, intrinsically with how the game brings people together and allows us to bond over a shared experience. DRIVE Club embodies those values, and we’re proud to partner with Youth on Course to bring it to life.”

The 100 Hole Hike is YOC’s marquee fundraising effort, with over $1M raised annually from individual and collective efforts that take place nationwide. This year, Team TaylorMade will conduct its first ever 100 Hole Hike on Friday, July 9 at Colina Park Golf Course in San Diego. The effort will raise money to support YOC beyond the company’s commitment to DRIVE Club. If you want to support the 100 Hole Hike or learn more about hiking yourself click here. 

“The formation of the DRIVE Club, in partnership with TaylorMade, will help us continue to identify young people who are passionate about golf, education, and giving back, and create additional support systems to help them achieve their goals on and off the course,” says Michael Lowe, VP of Programs for Youth on Course.

Committed to making the game more appealing, inclusive and accessible to nurture the next generation of lifelong players and lovers of the game, YOC gives its members opportunities to grow on and off the course. Offering subsidized rounds of golf, members can play at more than 1,400 courses across the country for $5 or less.

Away from the course, YOC puts their members’ lives on a different trajectory by providing off-course growth and learning experiences including paid internships, a scholarship program and caddying opportunities. Juniors nationwide ages 6-18 may sign up for a Youth on Course membership at www.youthoncourse.org/join. 

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More information: 831.625.4653.

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 TaylorMade

Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, TaylorMade Golf is a leading manufacturer of high performance golf equipment, golf balls and accessories with industry-leading innovative products like SIM2 metalwoods, SIM2 irons, P•Series irons, TP5/TP5x golf balls and Spider putters. A major force across the world's professional tours, TaylorMade has an unrivaled athlete portfolio that includes Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Matthew Wolff, Collin Morikawa, Harry Higgs, SH Park, Charley Hull, Maria Fassi and Sierra Brooks.

 

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