INDIAN GOLF GETS A FILLIP AS U.S. KIDS GOLF COMES TO INDIA
Photo by : Incredible India Info
Announces the launch of U.S. Kids Golf India Tour - a full-fledged structured Tour for junior golfers of the country
In what is a major boost for junior golf in the country, the U.S. Kids Golf, the biggest junior golf foundation in the world, is making its maiden foray in India via a full U.S. Kids Golf India Tour. The inaugural edition of the 2018-19 tour will be held across eight tournaments in six cities, with three events in Delhi NCR and one each at Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Pune, at championship golf courses.
U.S. Kids Golf is recognized as the world's leader in youth golf, dedicated to helping young players enjoy golf through better equipment, scientifically-designed tournament plays with age-appropriate yardages, and new learning and coaching resources. For over 20 years, U.S. Kids Golf has been at the forefront of junior golf development program and between its divisions, has impacted over one million young players around the world.
The U.S. Kids Golf India Tour 2018-19 edition will be played across various age groups for boys, starting from age 6 & under till 18, as well as girls, from age 7 & under till 18. The kick-off for the tour is being held on 7th December at the picturesque Jack Nicklaus designed Classic Golf & Country Club in the outskirts of Delhi.
The U.S. Kids Golf India Tour will also carry ranking points, and with participation in a minimum of four events out of the eight, the junior golfers will be able to gain qualification for the U.S. Kids World Championship, U.S. Kids European Championships as well as U.S. Kids Teen World Championship.
The U.S. Kids World Championship and U.S. Kids Teen World Championship are held every year at the storied venue of Pinehurst, where tournaments like PGA Championship, Ryder Cup and U.S. Open have taken place.
The U.S. Kids European Championship 2019 will be held at prestigious courses in East Lothian in Scotland, such as Longniddry Golf Club, Royal Musselburgh Golf Club and Glen Golf Club; while the boys and girls 15-18 category will take place at The Renaissance Club, where the Scottish Open 2019 as well as Ladies Scottish Open 2019 are slated to be held.
Throughout the U.S. Kids Golf India Tour, the events will be held at six of the finest courses in India, including Classic Golf & Country Club (Delhi NCR), Tollygunge Club (Kolkata), Eagleton Golf Resort (Bengaluru), Boulder Hills Golf and Country Club (Hyderabad), Chandigarh Golf Club and Poona Club Golf Course (Pune), which between them have held numerous national and international professional golf tournaments.
Rajesh Srivastava, President, U.S. Kids Golf India said, “With Golf now being a part of the Olympics and the Asian Games, and Indian golfers doing well internationally, it is about time that we focus on the right way of developing junior golf in India. With this initiative, we will be putting forward a scientific approach to the development of junior golf in the right environment with age-specific equipment and yardages to ensure that our kids grow their game, while enjoying the sport and also remain free from injury and fatigue. One of the major focus areas will be the certification of junior golf coaches and caddies, who are the first point of contact between a junior golfer and the game, as per U.S. Kids Golf global norms and standards.â€
“Our vision is to promote junior golf in the country and take the game to masses, just like the journey of cricket in India and how it became the most loved sport from being an exclusive sport in its early days,†he added.
Dan Van Horn, President and Founder, U.S. Kids Golf says, “It is a new era that is beginning in India for junior golf. With the help of very committed supporters of the sport in India, I am extremely pleased to announce the formation of a new entity, U.S. Kids Golf India. This effort includes not only the launch of the first nationwide kids golf tournament series but development of kid-friendly coaching for future players of the Country and an organized distribution of right kind of equipment for young players. U.S. Kids Golf is recognized as the world's leader in youth golf (National Golf Foundation - Top 100 companies) and is proud to play a vital role in the development of golf in India for young players.â€
The subsequent edition of U.S Kids Golf India Tour 2019-20 is slated to be a year-long tour, with zonal and regional tournaments, culminating into a national championship.
Schedule of U.S. Kids Golf India Tour (Winter 2018-19):
U.S. Kids Golf Local Tours provide boys and girls, ages 5 to 14, the opportunity to advance their golf experience in age-appropriate competition. At the Local Tour level, kids can gain their first exposure to competitive golf, earn Priority Status for Championship Events, meet new friends and learn valuable life lessons.
Similar to the PGA TOUR, players at U.S. Kids Golf events are encouraged to have caddies to help them play their best. Allowing caddies is part of our commitment to encouraging family interaction that builds lasting memories.
The top five finishers in each age group will receive Priority Status, granting them invitations to Championship Events. These events consist of State Invitationals, Regional Championships, International Championships and the World Championship, held each year in Pinehurst.
The mission of U.S. Kids Golf is to help kids have fun learning the lifelong game of golf and to encourage family interaction that builds lasting memories.
This mission is all about supporting the next generation of golf’s great players. Whether that means making clubs that fit your kid, certifying coaches who make learning the game more fun, scaling courses or providing entry level to advanced competition, U.S. Kids Golf is committed to supporting the future of the game.
The U.S. Kids Golf Foundation, a Georgia non-profit recognized as a 501(c)(3) charity, was created in 2001 and provides services that include competition and instruction. The Foundation organizes more than 1,000 golf tournaments for kids each year. In partnership with the PGA of America, the Foundation also supports the U.S. Kids Golf Family Course program, which provides guidelines that help courses make the game easier to learn and more fun for kids and their families.
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