The AJGA is reducing membership fees for 2022 and beyond to make golf more inclusive. The fee reduction is part of a larger plan by the AJGA to remove barriers to entry into golf.
In 2022, the AJGA membership fees will decrease nearly 10%, with plans for further reductions over the next several years.
“We see the AJGA as a perfect avenue to make golf more inclusive,” said AJGA Executive Director Stephen Hamblin. “We want to remove any barrier that would prevent someone from playing golf at a national level and provide as many opportunities to as many people as we can. We have been committed to diversity and inclusion for a while and we will continue to be moving forward.”
The reduction serves as another piece to help junior golfers, aligning with the AJGA’s Liberty National Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant program , which began in 2003, by making national level junior golf more affordable. The Liberty National ACE Grant provides financial assistance to junior golfers who have the ability but not the means to compete in national junior golf competition. To date, the program has reimbursed more than $5 million to juniors to play in AJGA and other national and state-level events.
Over the years, the AJGA has partnered with The First Tee to use the Liberty National ACE Grant to provide assistance to juniors in The First Tee program. This partnership has resulted in more than $1 million being reimbursed to these juniors who are competing at a national level. The total fundraising impact on The First Tee because of AJGA programs will surpass $2 million by the end of 2021.
The AJGA’s diversity and inclusion efforts are not just focused on junior golfers, but also on developing the next generation of golf industry professionals through the AJGA Internship program and full-time staff members.
“The staff at my event were awesome,” said PGA TOUR Player Harold Varner III. “The coolest part for me was having a conversation with them and understanding where they come from and seeing all walks of life. It’s nice to see people having a love for and being involved in golf.”
The AJGA Internship program has grown exponentially since the AJGA’s inception in 1978. In 2021, the AJGA hired 76 interns to travel and work at the National Headquarters. Of those interns, 54% were female and 23% were racially diverse. In recruiting for the 2022 internship, the AJGA team will visit 25 recruiting events across the country with 10 of those having a large focus on HBCUs, highlighting an emphasis on bringing people from all backgrounds into the AJGA family. The AJGA also utilizes various recruiting platforms to reach an additional 800+ colleges and universities across the nation.
“It’s really great to hear about the efforts of the AJGA,” said LPGA TOUR Player Mariah Stackhouse. “Diversifying within an organization is where great ideas come from. The more diverse the group of people you are working with, that’s where magic really happens.”
The AJGA has also formed partnerships with several organizations including the Women in Golf Foundation, Black Golf Directory, African American Golfer’s Digest, WE ARE GOLF Diversity Taskforce, National Minority Golf Foundation, Evans Scholars and Living Sport. These organizations have provided candidates for the AJGA’s internship program as well as guidance and conversation on making the AJGA and golf better. Beyond working with these diversity and inclusion focused organizations, the AJGA was a proud partner of the first annual African American Golf EXPO & Forum Sponsored by Golf Digest in 2021. The AJGA has also hired a diversity consultant to conduct training with both full-time staff members and interns.
“The AJGA has been a willing partner for increasing diversity and inclusion for over 20-years,” said Dr. Michael Cooper who is with the Advocates (APGA) Tour. “We regard the AJGA as the world leaders in developing junior golf talent, and executive director, Stephen Hamblin, continues to influence other golf industry organizations to do the right thing.”
The AJGA also works with several professional golfers on organizing or running tournaments that have a specific diversity and inclusion goal. These professionals include Harold Varner III, Cameron Champ, Mariah Stackhouse, Annika Sorenstam and Stacy Lewis.
To learn more about the AJGA's diversity and inclusion initiatives, click here.