Youth golf initiative an ace in the hole
This year, the course is one of 30 Tennessee courses — and eight in Knoxville specifically — to partner with the Bank of America “Golf With Us” initiative.
This nationwide program offers each child a free one-year membership to Youth on Course, giving them access to tee times for $5 or less at thousands of courses nationwide.
Some of the top regional courses in this program include three of the 10 Pinehurst courses in North Carolina as well as the historic Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta. To view more options, visit www.youthoncourse.org or bofa.com/golfwithus.
Enrollment is available until June 15, 2026.
Locally, some Knoxville options within this partnership include Williams Creek Golf Course, Knoxville Municipal Golf Course and even the Trackman SIM rentals at Dick’s House of Sport at West Town Mall.
At Concord specifically, even the green fees are free for Youth on Course members. The course previously took part in the “Kids Play Free” initiative — a product of East Tennessee native and PGA Tour champion Scott Stallings — which has been in place at Concord since 2018.
“Then the Youth On Course group caught wind of that and wanted to partner up as a way to legitimize it,” Concord general manager Nash Gosser said.
Last year alone, this program helped nearly 100,000 children across the country experience golf for the first time, per a release, and Gosser has seen a similar effect at Concord.
“This weekend with the weather, we will probably see 200 Youth On Course rounds with up to 100 each day,” he said last Thursday, April 16.
Gosser added that more than 1,000 children have been onboarded to the Youth On Course program at Concord alone through this initiative.
“It’s a game changer,” he said. “I wish it was something that existed when I was growing up. It aligns with our whole mission through the Tennessee Golf Foundation, which is to promote golf with a focus on youth.
“Then a lot of kids pick up a club for the first time out here and get the bug we all have. You check them in for their first round, then five years later, they go on to play junior golf and maybe even college golf.”
Jay Moneyhun has seen a similar effect with his sons, one of whom took part in Concord’s elementary spring league last Thursday but is also a Youth On Course member there too.
“We haven’t taken full advantage of it,” Moneyhun said. “We’re actually looking at a golf trip this summer since a few of the Pinehurst courses are on there, so we can get a reduced green fee for the kids.”
“I think it’s incredible what they’re doing,” he added. “I’m involved at Williams Creek as well, and they’re connected with Youth On Course too. So I know they’re trying to get kids out there too. Because sometimes there is a barrier for golf since it’s expensive, so to make it accessible for kids like this, it’s a really big thing.”
