Family tees: U.S. Kids Golf makes courses family-friendly.

"The mission of our company is to promote kids and families out on the golf course," said Robert Patterson, chief operating officer of U.S. Kids Golf, a leading provider of youth golf equipment and a longtime sponsor of youth golf tournaments across the country. "Kids golf is family golf," he added. "That's why we've been promoting the Personal Tee program for the last two to three years."

U.S. Kids Golf's Personal Tee program--named as a sponsor of this year's National Golf Course Owners Association (NCGOA) Get Linked Play Golf initiatives--has been designed to help clubs quickly and easily convert their golf courses into more accessible areas for young golfers. Among other purposes, the fundamental goals of the program are to:

* Provide kids with a curriculum that includes etiquette, rules, and skills in order to learn the game of golf.

* Give the professional staff an opportunity to increase lesson revenue.

* Improve the pace of play by having a set of tees for all members of the family.

Input from PGA and LPGA professionals from around the country was utilized in developing the system. "We've tried to make it easy for the manager and superintendent to set-up and beginning running this program," Patterson added. "There are so many different applications, anyone who is a beginner can benefit from this."

Fundamental to the program's uses is assisting young players in speeding up their pace of play. In order to do this, the length of the course must be shortened so that the distance is decreased between holes. This is accomplished through the use of color-coded plates that easily fit in with any existing golf course with no other physical alterations. "You are effectively shortening the course by moving the tee up the fairway," Patterson said. The color system and yardage lengths per hole of the Personal Tee markers is as follows:

Green Tees (Beginner):

Par 3s--45-55 yards

Par 4s--90-110 yards

Par 5s--135-165 yards

Approximate 9-hole length--900 yards

Yellow Tees (Intermediate):

Par 3s--90-110 yards

Par 4s--180-220 yards

Par 5s--270-330 yards

Approximate 9-hole length--1800 yards.

Red Tees (Advanced):

The yardage does not need to be altered unless the total 9-hole yardage exceeds 2,500 yards by 10 percent.

There are several ways in which the tee plates can be integrated into your golf course. First, tee markers can be placed on the inside edges of the fairway based on the Personal Tee yardage guidelines. This method has no impact on adult play and requires no additional grounds maintenance. Permanent installation of recessed tees in the fairway, however, would require the same maintenance as yardage plates. The third approach--and the most ideal--would be to find suitable teeing areas in the rough, and then mow these areas to fairway height. Permanent tees could then be installed in this area.

Promotion

The key to promoting the Personal Tee program at your golf course is through competition. As kids improve their skills out on the course, they are rewarded via incentives. Furthermore, lessons are structured through Personal Tee so players progress through a series of instructional booklets produced by U.S. Kids Golf. Patterson said, "As they pass each test, the kids can earn pins and hats."

Clubs are encouraged to conduct a club championship yearly, with tournaments set-up according to the skill level of the green, yellow, and red players. Furthermore, the club tournament winners can then move on to participate in U.S. Kids Golf's local tours--possibly even making it to their World Championship in Williamsburg, VA. Club currently using the Personal Tee program include Laurel Springs Country Club, Maumelle Country Club, White Eagle Golf Club, and Berkeley Hills Country Club.

"So many private clubs are in the hunt for new members," Patterson said, "And clubs are expecting these new members to be younger families. Doing something like this is an excellent way to make your golf course--and your club--more family-friendly."