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PrintFore The Kids
It cannot be denied that golf is, and always has been, a gentlemen’s game. Yet insofar as we are willing to accept the good with the bad, it must be conceded that this gentlemen’s game also comes at a gentlemen’s price.
Many prestigious members of the golf community have recently joined together around the rallying cry that golf has become prohibitively expensive — an issue which has special significance for younger practitioners of the sport. A good set of working golf clubs is expensive enough, without worrying about general equipment, course and driving range memberships, coaching fees, and a myriad of other considerations that might lead a parent to opt for the soccer ball or pair of running cleats.
It will come as no surprise, then, that organizations are sprouting up all over the nation to tackle this issue head on. One of San Diego County’s chief advocates for affordable access to golf is the North County Junior Golf Association (NCJGA). Led by PGA member and California Top-50 Golf Instructor David Emerick, NCJGA has been working within the community for 13 years. The not-for-profit was born out of Emerick’s vision that “any child who wants to learn to play the game of golf should have the opportunity.”
At the core of its outreach, NCJGA affords children ages 6-18 the opportunity to compete in youth events. Competition, Emerick says, “develops qualities such as sportsmanship, initiative, and leadership.” These days, though, junior event entry fees can range in cost anywhere from $200-$400, not including travel or hotel accommodations. “This is why the NCJGA is a non-profit corporation,” he states. “We raise money through donations and offer kids scholarships to play in our events as well as other tournaments.” A NCJGA event runs parents around $45-$50 — at least four times less than the traditional price.
Youth golf tournaments are, for the most part, organized on an age-range basis; meaning, youth are paired against others their age, regardless of skill level, experience, or competitive motivation. The result is that tournaments usually end up favoring a few “elite” golfers who have been playing since an extremely early age. Often, new or prospective junior golfers can become intimidated by the unequal skill distribution within age-brackets, and opt for other competitive sports that are more accessible.
Correcting these imbalances in the current junior golfing landscape is a major platform for NCJGA. In fact, Emerick came up with the idea for the organization when his own son was barred from entry to a tournament on account of being too young. NCJGA has established tournaments that pair youth competitors together based on skill-level and experience. The organization has found an innovative way to do this by creating what Emerick calls “flights within the division so kids can compete with others of the same abilities.”
NCJGA has also been reaching out to other San Diego community organizations to expand the scope of its programming. From their canned-food-drive Thanksgiving Shootout and holiday support of Toys For Tots, to their current collaborative project with the North County Boys and Girls Clubs — which links up golf club donors with aspiring young players, NCJGA is doing its best to invest its time and energies back into important community initiatives.
As NCJGA and similar organizations continue to expand within the local community, it seems likely that golf will begin to become more accessible again to more children. After all, as Emerick makes a point to note, “It’s not all about the kids unless it’s about ALL the kids.”
North County Junior Golf Association
ncjga.com
