Georgia Magazine - April 2017 - 29

Belongie, an assistant professional
at RiverPines Golf Course in Johns
Creek and a U.S. Kids Golf-certified
coach. "There is a definite effort to
'grow the game' of golf through the
youth by the PGA of America. Many
golf courses are too difficult for the
beginner/intermediate junior golfer
[12 and under]."
According to Belongie, a kidfriendly golf course is any course
scaled to size.
"Just as a 10-year-old baseball
player wouldn't be expected to play
on a Major League Baseball field or
(Continued on page 30)

COURTESY FORE KIDS COLUMBUS, GA.

'We also have
independent teams
for home-school
students and
schools that don't
have a dedicated
sponsor for players.'

COURTESY FORE KIDS COLUMBUS, GA.

Aflac and representatives of the Southeastern Amateur,
a top-level amateur golf tournament, present Stephanie
Callahan, Fore Kids Columbus, Ga., director of operations,
with a donation.

- Stephanie Callahan,
director of operations, Fore
Kids Columbus, Ga.

Young golfers pose with Stephanie Callahan, Fore Kids Columbus, Ga., director of operations,
who holds an award presented to the organization in 2014 by Rep. Calvin Smyre in recognition
of the nonprofit's work with youths. "We're really doing great things with this program, and
it's finally getting some attention, as we're being asked by the No. 1 golf coach in the country
[Columbus High School Coach Chris Parker, USA Today's High School Sports 2016 National
Boys Golf Coach of the Year] to begin a high school learning program," Callahan says.
April 2017

More online at www.georgiamagazine.org

VICTORIA SCHARF DECASTRO

Anna, Bailey, Cameron and Kyia
all compete in the Georgia Junior
Golf Tour events, the primary goal of
which is to help junior golfers earn
college scholarships and become
golfers for life.
The 500-plus golf courses
throughout the state make golf more
accessible and offer increased opportunities to play. However, not all golf
courses are kid-friendly.
"Children and teens would be
welcome at most public or municipal
golf facilities. Certain private courses
are a little stricter on when junior
golfers are allowed to play," says Paul

From left, Anna Williams, Kyia Williams
and Cameron Bruce practice on the driving
range at The Creek at Hard Labor in Social
Circle.

Find out more online
* Country Club of Roswell, ccroswell.com.
* The First Tee, thefirsttee.org.
* Fore Kids Columbus, Ga.,
forekidscolumbus.com.
* Georgia Junior Golf Tour, gajgt.com.
* The Hooch Golf Club, thehoochgolfclub.com.
* Peachtree Golf Center Par-3 Course,
thehoochgolfclub.com/peachtree.
* RiverPines Golf, riverpinesgolf.com.
* St. Ives Country Club, stivescountryclub.org.
* U.S. Kids Golf, uskidsgolf.com.

Organizations
* American Junior Golf Association: A nonprofit for young men and women who aspire
to earn college golf scholarships through
competitive junior golf. ajga.org.
* Atlanta Junior Golf: An environment in
which junior golfers, ages 7 to 18, can progress at their own rate while promoting and
preserving the traditions and integrity of the
game. atlantajuniorgolf.org.
* LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association): American organization for female
professional golfers. lpga.com.
* PGA of America (Professional Golfers' Association of America): World's largest working
sports organization, comprising 28,000 male
and female golf professionals who are the
recognized experts in teaching and growing
the game. pga.com/pga-america.
* The PGA Tour: Organizer of the main professional golf tours in North America.
pgatour.com.
* USGA (United States Golf Association): The
national association of golf courses, clubs
and facilities and the governing body of golf
for the United States and Mexico. usga.org.
29

http://www.ccroswell.com http://www.thefirsttee.org http://www.forekidscolumbus.com http://www.gajgt.com http://www.thehoochgolfclub.com http://www.thehoochgolfclub.com/peachtree http://www.riverpinesgolf.com http://www.stivescountryclub.org http://www.uskidsgolf.com http://www.ajga.org http://www.atlantajuniorgolf.org http://www.lpga.com http://www.pga.com/pga-america http://www.pgatour.com http://www.usga.org http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - April 2017