A program that helps youth golfers access reduced rates at courses around the country keeps growing here in Maine, and has a new national partner this season.
Bank of America has chipped in to provide free memberships to Youth on Course, a program that gives young golfers access to discounted rounds of golf for $5 or less at participating courses.
Youth on Course memberships cost anywhere between $5 and $65 across the country, and are $5 in Maine. Golfers between the ages of 6-18 can sign up for the program and get a free one-year membership courtesy of Bank of America’s new “Golf with Us” effort. That offer will end on May 24 or if there are 75,000 sign-ups nationwide before then.
“By offering new opportunities for Maine kids to play golf here in our backyard, we are empowering kids and creating a positive impact in our community through the transformational power of sports,” said Brian King, the president of Bank of America Maine in a recent press release.
Here in Maine, the Youth on Course program is administered by Maine Golf, an association that represents more than 100 courses across the state. According to Maine Golf Executive Director Brian Bickford, nearly 30 courses and roughly 3,400 kids have joined the program here in the Pine Tree state.
“Maine is one of the oldest states in the union,” Bickford said. “And so we see that as part of our golf population, and we see this as a great way to keep kids engaged and hopefully build that next generation of golfer in Maine.”
And as they continue to build the program, first brought to Maine in 2021, Bickford is hoping to get more golf courses involved. Courses can set the hours and even parts of the season that they allow Youth on Course members to play, and Maine Golf helps subsidize those discounted rounds, Bickford explained.
Once young players have a Youth on Course membership, they can play at participating courses for $5 or less each round. Memberships are not automatically given — players must complete a brief online course to demonstrate that they are ready to be out on golf courses.
“What’s so great about the program is they have to pay, they have to have a [Golf Handicap Information Network] handicap, they have to take an online course as far as course etiquette and stuff like that before they can actually get their Youth on Course membership card,” said Mark Hall, the course pro at Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono.
Some courses have restrictions on days of the week or times of day that Youth on Course players can reserve tee times, and some courses may require adults to be with the youth golfers. Participants should check in with courses about tee times and Youth on Course hours ahead of time.
Bickford hopes to double the amount of participating courses across the state, with the goal of having one in each of Maine’s 16 counties.
There are 27 Maine golf courses currently participating in the initiative, several of which are in the Bangor area. Those include Penobscot Valley, the Bangor Municipal Golf Course, Hidden Meadows Golf Course in Old Town and Barnes Brook Golf Course in West Enfield.
“It brings a lot of kids who we hadn’t usually seen before, and a lot of play out, and that’s only good for the game,” Andrew McDade, the general manager at Hidden Meadows, said about the program. “It brings a lot of kids who are really excited about it.”
Hall, from the Orono course, acknowledged that golf can be a “frustrating game” and that some people get frustrated early and quit playing. But young people playing early and often, including through the Youth on Course program, can make a big difference.
McDade highlighted the importance of getting a new demographic involved in the sport, which can sometimes include some misbehavior as young players learn the rules and etiquette involved with the game of golf.
“I think a golf course is a good place for some of these kids who are especially getting into the age where they might want to get into a little bit of mischief, because it kind of feels like a place where you can do something. But there seems to always be someone watching on a golf course,” McDade said.
Rob Jarvis, the head professional at the Bangor Muni, also discussed the importance of growing the next generation of golfers — especially at a time of increased expenses for many families.
“Everything’s expensive nowadays, and if you have children, your grocery bill is larger, your clothing bill is larger, your activities budget, vacations — the prices have all increased in the last few years,” Jarvis said. “So certainly being able to have something that the kids can do for an affordable rate is huge for us, because they are that next generation.”
Golf courses have experienced a boon of increased participation nationally during and since the Covid-19 pandemic, including a 40 percent increase in junior golfers between 2018 and 2023, according to the National Golf Foundation.
“We still have to continue to cultivate the next crop of golfers, and that’s kids,” Jarvis added when discussing the Youth on Course program. “So what better way to get children that are ready to play golf — which is the key here. This is not for a developmental junior golfer. This is for somebody who can step out onto the golf course with their friends or their family, play golf, keep up the place of play, take care of the golf course how they should, and move forward.”
