How is the NCGA Foundation different from the NCGA Junior Tour?

NCGA Foundation

Founded in 1989, the NCGA Foundation is a non-profit 501(c) (3) charitable organization that provides deserving youth the opportunity to develop life skills and values through golf. The Foundation increases the availability and affordability of youth golf through its flagship initiative, Youth on Course.

In summary, the NCGA Foundation:

• Awards grants to programs teaching life skills and values to deserving youth through the game of golf
• Increases the accessibility and affordability of golf through Youth on Course
• Introduces new kids to golf through free clinics
• Supports personal development and introductory career opportunities for adolescent golfers within the golf industry

About Youth on Course: The NCGA Foundation’s Youth on Course (YOC) initiative offers deserving youth across Northern California the opportunity to play some of the area’s best courses for $5 or less while kids put to use the life skills and values training they learned in their Youth on Course certified program.

Having grown to more than 115 participating golf courses, the program was originally made possible by a generous gift to the NCGA Foundation from an anonymous donor in the San Francisco Bay-Area.

Youth on Course also offers participants NCGA memberships. Membership cards are sent to all participating youth. Members receive Youth on Course stickers to place on the back of their membership cards after completing their life skills training.

Students presenting their card and sticker to participating golf courses at specific times will be granted a discounted Youth on Course rate. The Foundation subsidizes each facility a portion or all of the “lost” revenue.

In order to participate, members must complete a comprehensive life skills education program that teaches core values like responsibility, perseverance and honesty.

For more information visit www.ncgafoundation.org or call Foundation staff (831) 625-4653.

NCGA Junior Tour

The NCGA Junior Tour is a series of tournaments held throughout the year for golfers 18 years old and younger, that enables juniors to sharpen their skills in a tournament setting.

In 2009, the tour held tournaments at a range of challenging courses including Brookside, Stevinson Ranch and Poppy Hills.  Many of the events sold out in less than 30 minutes and to accommodate the growing popularity, the Tour has scheduled 16 events around Northern California in 2010.

The NCGA is an organization that believes in providing competitive opportunities for its members. The Junior Tour takes a different approach to junior golf than similar tours around the country. The Junior Tour groups players by their handicap rather than age level to allow players not at the top level to compete with their peers. The Junior Tour enables players to move up as their skills improve rather than waiting for their next birthday.

With the continuing financial costs that junior golf can place on families, the NCGA wants to keep the Junior Tour affordable. Events are 36-hole tournaments that take place on Saturday and Sunday.  The cost is $75 for golf each day.

Since its inception in 2008, public response for the Junior Tour has been extremely positive. Parents appreciate the NCGA’s steadfast support of junior golf, and appreciate the affordability.  The overwhelming response of the Junior Tour certainly indicates that the Tour has a bright future.

With our commitment to junior golf, we intend to develop both productive citizens with strong values as well as top golfers. The NCGA’s junior golf continuum fills a void in the industry. Through the Youth on Course program, grants, scholarships and the Junior Tour, young golfers will develop character and important life skills, preparing them today to succeed and capitalize on future opportunities.