Youth on Course helped Elijah Collins find golf, and then he helped by giving back

Elijah Collins was 12 years old when he started to take golf more seriously. The only trouble was finding a way onto the golf course. Like most young golfers, Elijah didn’t have any money to feed his golf habit, and access was also a major hurdle. As many of us know, the game has an equity problem. It’s a problem that threatens to curb not only the growth of the game, but its very future. 

Elijah then learned about Youth on Course, an organization whose mission is to provide young people with access to life-changing opportunities through golf. Youth on Course receives donations, and works with a network of public golf courses, to give people under 18 an opportunity to play golf for just $5 or less. Over 140,000 kids are members of YOC, which allows them to play at nearly 2,000 golf courses. “Youth on Course allowed me to be able to afford a round of golf whenever I wanted,” Elijah says. He could play on the weekends and even before school, all for about $30 per year. 

Youth on Course provides other opportunities in golf as well. When Elijah was 14 years old, he had the opportunity to be in the first-ever Youth on Course caddie program, and he took full advantage. “The caddie program allowed me to learn the game from the other side of the ball,” Elijah explains. “It helped push my introverted self to new heights, while earning money that was truly mine.”

That’s not all that Youth on Course offers. Along with the caddie program, YOC also offers internships. Elijah applied for an internship at Lake Merced Golf Club, and he was accepted. He would work there as a golf shop attendant, allowing him to learn what it takes to run a golf course. Elijah explains, “This exposure to the inner workings of the golf industry inspired me to become a PGA teaching professional.” 

Youth on Course also helped Elijah pay for college: “Because of my involvement with all the programs offered at Youth on Course, I was able to apply for a college scholarship through Youth on Course.” He couldn’t stress the importance of this assistance enough: “The scholarship that I received made college a possibility, not just an idea.” 

While taking a break from his professional golf career for physical and mental health reasons, Elijah knew he wanted to give back, so he went to work with YOC. He was able to impact the next generation of golfers by managing all the programs he was once a part of: course acquisitions, internships, the caddie program, and the scholarship program.

First, Elijah also made his mark on YOC’s caddie program. When the program started, it was limited to Northern California, with the exception of a select number of caddies at Bandon Dunes. Leading up to the summer months, Elijah organized caddie trainings in order to get the kids prepared for the job. Elijah says, “This was my favorite project at YOC, because it was a great reminder of where I came from. I saw myself in the kids in the program and wanted nothing more than to propel them to success.” 

Then Elijah worked with other Youth on Course staff to recruit courses around the country to register as a participating facility. When Elijah was a teenager, the course offerings were limited to Northern California. Now almost 15 years later, they have spread their message and impact, growing the game to all 50 states. Elijah is proud of what he and his colleagues have accomplished in that time: “We worked tirelessly to always add more courses in each state, in order to ensure we were giving kids equal opportunities to join YOC.”

Elijah spent most of his time working for YOC focusing on internship opportunities. “Similar to the course acquisitions, I would reach out to courses around the country to see if they were interested in hosting YOC interns for the summer.” He saw an opportunity to expand into other areas of the U.S.: “The program was successful, but I noticed we could be expanding our reach even more. There were many internship sites in California, but fewer on the east coast. So I focused on securing internship opportunities in markets where YOC was lacking, assisting in YOC recognition and overall involvement in the program.” 

Last, Elijah made his mark on YOC’s scholarship program. “From reading the applications and essays to awarding the scholarships, this program was an emotional rollercoaster. It was emotional for me because I got invested in these kids who have achieved so much, especially with the pandemic hitting right at the most crucial juncture in their schooling.” Developing the scholarship program was a grueling five-month process for Elijah, starting with building the application to granting the scholarships. He helped many more young golfers like himself get to college, thanks to YOC and its donors.

Elijah sums up his time with Youth on Course: “It was touching to hear just how much the programs had impacted the lives of young people who, like me, wouldn't know where they would be without Youth on Course.” 

As Elijah’s story proves, not only is Youth on Course helping to grow a larger and more diverse future generation of golfers, their members often turn around to do the same for others. YOC has not only given young people access to the game, it has enabled them to learn life lessons that golf provides, to become leaders, to inspire and help others in golf and beyond. 

This September, NewClub will host its first annual charity event alongside the Georgia State Golf Association, benefitting the Youth on Course Georgia chapter. If you want to learn more about Youth on Course and possibly donate to the cause, please visit https://youthoncourse.org/donate.