Program delivers free golf

Goshen Plantation Golf Club co-owner and head pro Spike Kelley wanted to do something to promote junior golf in the area.

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Kelley

But he didn't want to open his south Augusta course to beginning juniors, which might tie play and draw the ire of his members.

Instead, he's come up with a program that will allow First Tee of Augusta members who can break 50 in less than two hours for nine holes to play for free.

The program, which started last week, will no doubt provide motivation for some of the 700 First Tee of Augusta members. It is also open to golfers at the newly created First Tee of Aiken at Houndslake Country Club.

"We are the prom; the First Tee gets them dressed up and ready to go to the prom," Kelley said.

"It's a pretty good marriage between the First Tee, where they get life skills and players that want to go to that next level. It gives them a place and opportunity to play golf."

Kelley, a former PGA Tour winner who grew up in Oklahoma, didn't have the benefit of programs like the First Tee.

"We're for junior golf; we support it," Kelley said. "It's for us to pass it on and keep the chain going."

"Spike said it was important for kids to get on the course and have access," said First Tee of Augusta executive director Jill Brown. "He said he wanted to help. When he said it would be free, we said 'wow.' We thought that was a great gesture. He believes in what we're doing."

Brown said "six to eight" area golf clubs are what she calls "access affiliates," which means they allow First Tee golfers to play at discounted rates, which are set by each course.

No course in the eight-year existence of the First Tee of Augusta has opened its doors like Goshen is.

"Free, that is a whole different dimension," Brown said.

The Goshen program comes at a good time for the First Tee, which begins registration for the 2010 season at 8 a.m. Jan. 9.

"A lot of people think we're not really golf, we're life skills," Brown said. "But we want our kids to be great golfers. But if the students don't have the incentive to practice, they're not going to break 50."

Goshen's most famous member -- two-time PGA Tour winner Vaughn Taylor, who grew up less than 2 miles from Goshen -- is behind the program, Kelley said.

"Vaughn wants to have some kind of rewards system for the First Tee golfers and when they reach the top, they get to play a round of golf with him out there," Kelley said.

The First Tee incentive is in keeping with Goshen's community support. For the sixth consecutive year, the course will be open on Christmas Day for the Barney Adams Family Day. There is no charge to play, but golfers can make a charity donation. This year, it is Toys for Tots.

"We've had as many as 160 golfers and all of them give donations," Kelley said. "You see all this stuff we're doing and it looks like we're giving stuff for free. The reason we do it is it's the right thing to do. All you have to think is: what would my grandmother say? Sometimes you have to stand up and say, 'yeah, I think that's what we're going to do.' "

Reach David Westin at (706) 724-0851 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.