Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36Continued from page 13 reasons for developing lifelong golfers, but the main thing Youth on Course does is allow kids to become better people through the game.” Parents also see the huge benefit of Youth on Course for their families. “I can't find a better, more affordable way to spend a morning, afternoon or early evening with my kids,” said a parent of an Oregon junior golfer. “Youth on Course is by far one of the best programs I have ever seen. It’s an amazing way to get my kids to experience golf with other friends, parents and myself.” It all started because of a generous donation made in 2004 to the NCGA Foundation by two brothers who wished to honor their late father. The Morton family wanted to pass the game on to young people the way their father had passed it on to them. “We wanted to get more kids on golf courses, which helps grow the game,” co-founder Paul Morton said. “But if we help a kid to be better equipped to succeed in life, that is the real win we are after.” The idea of Youth on Course began with little marketing, just a handful of kids and one facil- ity – Pleasanton Golf Center in the Bay Area. The program continued to grow quietly, until the sudden downturn of the economy in 2008 when courses needed to fill tee sheets and kids needed golf to be affordable. The program took off, and in order to bridge the gap between being an introduction to the game and grooming lifelong players, Youth on Course partnered with The First Tee Home Office. “The First Tee is an amazing program that teaches life skills and core values using the game of golf as the platform,” Youth on Course executive director Adam Heieck said. “What 14 | January 2017 #juniorgolfmag Visit us at juniorgolfmag.net “I can't find a better, more affordable way to spend a morning, afternoon or early evening with my kids,” said a parent of an Oregon junior golfer. YOUTHONCOURSE