MGA: Massachusetts Golf Association Illustration Illustration

News Release

For Immediate Release: July 1, 2000

 Peter Kessler, "voice" of The Golf Channel, will officially conclude the first of five MGA ForeKids Golf Clinics by addressing more than 700 youngsters here at Franklin Park Golf Course on July 14, at 9 a.m. Kessler will serve as a sort of valedictory speaker, as the 7- to 17-year-olds will have spent the previous four days learning golf's six fundamentals: putting, chipping, short irons, long irons, driving and...having fun. To ensure the latter, Kessler will be joined at this Massachusetts Golf Association (MGA) event by golf personalities Divot the Clown and Billy McGolf; Kessler is the new national spokesman for Billy McGolf, "golf's official mascot".

"These aren't exactly the sorts of guests Peter hosts on 'Golf Talk Live'," laughed MGA Executive Director Tom Landry, "but one must consider our audience. Peter Kessler has done just that by supporting the ForeKids program. We applaud his commitment to junior golf, to the generation of new golfers. He understands, as we do, that urban kids are less likely to pick up the game on their own. They need help." Now in their 8th year, MGA ForeKids Golf Clinics are designed to expose inner-city kids to the game in meaningful chunks. For a solid week they swing, chip and putt with professional instruction, alongside their peers. Hundreds of them. This summer, more than 2,300 youngsters are expected to participate in five separate MGA ForeKids Golf Clinics.

"The clinics run every morning, from 9 to noon, and we provide the kids with lunch," explained Derek Breau, the MGA's director of junior development. "We have two instructors for every 20 kids, and we rely on golf professionals and volunteers to maintain that ratio. "The volunteer spirit is part of what makes MGA ForeKids such a meaningful program. Instructors donate their time. FleetBoston provides each kid with a T-shirt; Coke supplies us with drinks every day at our Boston clinic, and Polar does the same in Worcester."

Using a $40,000 grant from the USGA, MGA ForeKids started a continuing education program this past winter. The money enabled the MGA to secure discounted golf clubs from LaJolla Golf. "Basically, the USGA funding made it possible for our kids to buy sets for just $35," Breau continued. "We sold 100 sets last year, and we arranged for hundreds of kids to hit balls indoors this past winter -- free of charge." Where? At Springfield College. At the Lowell Boys & Girls Club. In Boston at Citygolf and The Golf School. In Cambridge at Harvard University. In New Bedford at the Dartmouth Sports Dome. At Green Hill GC in the pro shop. In Chelsea at the Lewis H. Latimer Society. For these kids who continued their golf education through the winter, the MGA arranged free access at local courses this summer. In other words, for these juniors who have shown the commitment, the MGA picks up the tab -- on Tuesdays at Green Hill, Wednesdays at Veterans Golf Course in Springfield, Thursdays at Franklin Park, and Tuesdays at Fresh Pond Golf Course in Cambridge.

"We've also encouraged the establishment of junior rates at these participating courses," Landry added. "So kids pay just $7-9, when they're not playing for free... We recognize that money isn't the sole obstacle to urban kids getting interested in golf; transportation is another big issue. We do what we can. Without programs like ForeKids Golf Clinics, most city kids would never even experience golf. If a youngster attends a free clinic and comes to love the game, we'll find a way to foster that interest."