Johnsen, Evan - Youth Golf Olympics

Property: The First Tee of Greater Seattle

Location: King County, WA.

Property Type: Daily Fee, Public (Non-profit Organization)

Program Contact: Evan Johnsen, Program Director (The First Tee of Greater Seattle)

Contact Phone/Email: Evan Johnsen: 425-503-4851, evan@thefirstteeseattle.org

Name of PD Program: Youth Golf Olympics

Type of PD Program: Junior Golf Program

Dates of Program: Spring/Summer (July 2017)

Results of Program

Young golfers age 7-18 were able to compete in a host of golf skills contests. They showcased an array of talents, developed new ones, and enjoyed a new and fun format of golf competition. The event was fun, original, and a great success.

Revenue Generated: As with many programs hosted by The First Tee, this did not generate significant revenue for the facility or the program. We reserved the Par-3 golf course for 4 hours and paid the associated youth greens fees, in the amount of approximately $300. Additionally, many families chose to dine in the restaurant during the event.

Details of Program

• Participants sign up for a division of their age and level, and a commitment of approximately 2 hours.
• The entire Par-3 golf course was reserved and set up ahead of time to host a different skill station on each hole: putting, chipping, approach, driving, standard play (3h), speed golf (2h), and the “challenge” stations (“flop wall” & “break the glass”).
• As players check in, they are assigned a starting time and once they begin, their division moves around the course from station to station. The next division begins shortly thereafter, and so the event is continuous from beginning to end.
• At the conclusion of all stations, players sign and attest their scorecards, results are tallied, and awards are presented to the top scorers.
• The First Tee promotes the development of the Nine Core Values and also the Nine Healthy Habits, helping to get young players become healthier physically, mentally, and emotionally. The Golf Skills Olympics allows players to explore all these skills.
• Players who did not win the overall challenge for their division were recognized and now known for specific skills like: speed golf, putting abilities, flop shot proficiency, etc.
• Fee to play in the Skills Olympics was only $5 per player, which covered the cost of greens fees, snacks, wages, and awards.

Recommendations

• We flighted players into four separate divisions by their level in The First Tee, which controls for age, maturity and skill level. Without these predetermined divisions, an organization would have to flight their players based on their own criteria.
• Cost to play in this event could be as high as $50 per player, and then revenue could be much more significant.
• Sponsors for the event could provide additional revenue and ability to lower fees and/or provide scholarships. Sponsors could be recruited in the following categories: gyms and fitness centers, food and grocery stores, golf companies, and local businesses.