2023 Kentucky Golf Foundation Annual Report

Kentucky Golf Foundation 2023 Annual Report

About the Kentucky Golf Foundation

2023 KGF Leadership

Jim Thompson Founded in 2002, the Kentucky Golf President Foundation is the vision of the Phil Armbruster Kentucky PGA and Kentucky Golf Danny Baron, PGA Association. The core purpose is to Greg Engle impact Kentucky's youth and Matt Fuqua military through golf while Jimmy Kirchdorfer enhancing the diversity found Chad Martin, PGA within the sport. This is done Dave Nicholas through supporting programs that David Rudder introduce the game of golf and provide playing opportunities to Jason Seiner people of all ages, skill levels & Dean Terry backgrounds, youth and military.

Jim Thompson

Charles Whelan, PGA

Staff List Sally Morgan, PGA Executive Director

Connie Saner Senior Director, Member Services

Alec Bahnick, PGA Handicapping and Course Rating Manager

Abby Ligons Director, Communications & Marketing

Ray Moehlman, PGA Senior Director Tournaments & Business Development

Barbara Peak Director Finance-Administration

MacKenzie Peyton Director, Junior Tour

Erin Rowland Coordinator, Foundation

Michael Vick , PGA Director, Amateur Competitions

Destiny McLeod PGA WORKS Fellow

Message From Our President, Jim Thompson

Kentucky Golf Foundation is a great example of how leadership, teambuilding and dedication can have the most tremendous impact on many lives. In 2023, we went above and beyond our expectations and continued to build from the previous year. I am so grateful to be part of the KGF and its programs.

We have seen PGA HOPE reach amazing numbers, with 540 veterans served and 236 graduates through the program as well adding four new chapters; Frankfort, Shelbyville, Fort Knox & Lexington. Youth on Course Kentucky members recorded 26,946 rounds, a leap from previous years. Kentucky Golf Foundation Online Charity Auction raised $22,677 from multiple items with the 2024 PGA Championship ticket having the most bids.

With no plans on settling in the near future, I am excited to see all that will be accomplished for KGF in the year 2024!

We are going to see even more growth and relationship building across all pillars; Youth, Military, Diversity and Inclusion. To our staff, volunteers, participants, participating courses and donors... we could not have done this without you. Thank you, it has been a honor to be the Kentucky Golf Foundation 2023 President.

YOUTH ON COURSE The purpose of Youth on Course is to provide youth with access to life changing opportunities through golf. Children can acquire a Youth On Course membership for $5 each year. Players pay a greens fee of $5 or less at Youth On Course member facilities in the state.

If interested in more information about Youth on Course, please visit the QR code below!

5,648 active members in Kentucky

26,946 rounds completed

Kentucky Golf Foundation Online Charity Auction This year, our KGF Online Charity Auction raised

$22,677.00

with a total of 580 bids

The highest bid item was 4 tickets to the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club! 23 bids were placed and they sold for $3,600.

ISCO Industries Youth on Course Kentucky Pro-AM On August 7, 2023, we held our ISCO Industries Youth on Course ProAm at Valhalla Golf Club. This tournament is the Foundation’s largest fundraiser of the year, with over $70,000 raised to benefit Youth on Course Kentucky. Nearly 150 people participated in the tournament, with teams composed of one professional and three amateurs. The winning team included tour professional Chip McDaniel, Mark Kirchdorfer, Jon O’Donnell and Clay Uselton!

40 Total Tournaments in 2023 476 Junior Tour members

Kylie Miller Girls 9-under

Mary Clayton Rodgers Girls 10-12

Samantha Abell Girls 13-15

Anika Okuda Girls 16-18

Kentucky PGA Junior Tour Players of the Year Jamison Welch Boys 8- under

Max DeHaven Boys 10-under

Jack Burrice Boys 11-12

Luke Bryant Boys 13-15

Jameson Corbin Boys 16-18

2023 Award Winners Gay Brewer Grant Recipients

Winston Zhuang Georgia Blair Scott Evan Taylor

Jace Bugg Award Recipient Reese Barlow

Morgan Kennedy

Reed Richey

Justin Thomas Grant Recipients

PGA PGAJr. Jr.League League 1,687 players 1,687total total players PGA Junior League Golf PGA Junior League Golf is is aa fun, social, and inclusive fun, social, and inclusive opportunity boys and opportunity forfor boys and girls ages and under girls ages 17 17 and under toto learn and enjoy the game learn and enjoy the game ofof golf.

Through a team golf.

Through a team environment where each environment where each group captained a PGA group is is captained byby a PGA LPGA Professional, PGA oror LPGA Professional, PGA League offers a focus Jr.Jr. League offers a focus onon fun, recreation, good health fun, recreation, good health and sportsmanship. and sportsmanship.

19th National Ranking

39 Participating Leagues

Drive, Chip & Putt 437 players as local qualifiers

94 Advanced to sub regionals

16 Advanced to regionals

Drive Chip and Putt is a free nationwide junior golf development competition for boys and girls ages 7-15 aimed at growing the love of the game through a focus on the three fundamental skills of golf.

Players compete with three attempts in each skill, with points based on distance and/or accuracy for a total score. Players advance through local, sub-regional and regional qualifying in hopes to compete in the National Finals, held at Augusta National Golf Club the Sunday before the Masters.

PGA Hope (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) is the flagship military program

of PGA REACH. PGA HOPE introduces golf to Veterans to enhance their PGA HOPE physical, mental, social and emotional well-being. The program introduces the game through a developmental 6-8 week curriculum taught by PGA Professionals trained in an adaptive golf & military cultural competency.

Veterans graduated 236through PGA HOPE in 2023

540 Veterans impacted in 2023

Louisville Chapter Quail Chase Golf Club

Florence Chapter World of Golf

Fort Knox Chapter Lindsey Golf Course

Paducah Chapter Country Club of Paducah

Lexington Chapter Man O‘ War Golf Learning Center

Shelbyville Chapter Weissinger Hills

Frankfort Chapter Juniper Hill Golf Course

HOPE for HEROES On April 24th, PGA HOPE hosted its second annual HOPE for Heroes Fundraiser at Polo Fields Golf and Country Club. 90 people participated, creating 23 teams made up of Veterans, PGA Professionals and amateurs.

Congratulations to our winning team of Blake Hardesty, PGA, Olivia Pennybaker Hardesty, Tom Millay and Everett McLimore.

$7,160.31 was raised to help our Heroes!

Kentucky PGA HOPE Cup On September 12th, we hosted our second annual HOPE Cup at Persimmon Ridge Golf Club. Congratulations to the winning team of Ralph Landrum, PGA, Bob O’Neill, Robert Gilbert, Joe Haner, and Christopher Kelley!

Good luck next year at the 2024 Secretary’s Cup at The University of Louisville Golf Club!

The Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame’s membership includes 94 individuals with remarkable records as players, golf professionals, golf course superintendents, educators, and golf administrators. On November 2, 2023 the Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame welcomed four new inductees in Cullan Brown, Phil Armbruster, Jeff McGill, PGA, and Susan Stewart.

Cullan Brown

Phil Armbruster

Jeff McGill, PGA

Susan Stewart

A Message from Our Executive Director Sally Morgan, PGA

The Kentucky Golf Foundation saw tremendous growth in 2023 across each area of focus; Youth, Military, and Inclusion & Diversity. Key stakeholders across Golf House Kentucky, Kentucky PGA and Kentucky Golf Foundation continue to positively impact the KGF’s growth in more ways than one.

Facilities across the state continue to participate with Youth on Course, providing affordable access to the game for thousands of Kentucky youth; our dedicated PGA members provide life-saving opportunities for our nation’s heroes through PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) programming. The list goes on and on with the dedication and impact so many individuals make!

Next year and beyond, we look forward to growing our commitment to diversity & inclusion while teaching the business and game of golf. I cannot wait to see what we do exceedingly to Enhance Lives Through Golf in 2024!

Ways to Donate The Kentucky Golf Foundation had a fantastic year and we can not wait to see what 2024 has in store for us! There are many ways to get involved and help us continue to grow. We are extremely appreciative anytime you chose to donate to the Kentucky Golf Foundation!

You can easily provide a pledged gift by scanning the QR code above and filling out the information! KGF appreciates all donation efforts.

If you use Amazon to order products, you can use Amazon Smile instead! This OR code will prompt you to select a charitable organization before you check out and it will donate 0.5% of the purchase (with no extra cost) to KGF.