Harvick4HighSchoolGolf

The PGA REACH Carolinas Harvick4HighSchoolsGolf Program started in 2022 Funded by The Stewart-Haas Foundation and Nascar Driver Kevin Harvick’s Kevin Harvick Foundation, the Harvick4HighSchoolGolf program provides an opportunity for high school students to engage in the game of golf. Through this generous funding, underserved high schools are able to provide their young athletes with equipment, golf lessons, and anything else necessary to compete at the high school level. The goal of Harvick4HighSchoolsGolf is to help student athletes foster healthy lifestyles, learn teamwork, and gain valuable life skills obtained from competition This 2023 season, PGA REACH Carolinas and the Kevin Harvick Foundation are proud to support eight high school golf programs

In 2022, Harvick4HighSchoolsGolf supported four high schools; two in Guilford County and two in Mecklenburg County: James B. Dudley High School, Ben L. Smith High School, David W. Butler High School, and East Mecklenburg High School. In 2023, we are excited to have the opportunity and support from the Kevin Harvick Foundation to expand this program and add four additional high schools to this year’s program: High Point Central High School, T Wingate Andrews High School, Independence High School, and North Mecklenburg High School.

While some of the golfers involved in Harvick4HighSchoolsGolf have played golf for many years, the majority of them are just starting out. This program pays for golf lessons from PGA Professionals in the area as well as supplies golf equipment to these new athletes. The hope is that these lessons will help speed up the earning process for these students, so that they can be competitive with their peers who may have had access to golf growing up The PGA REACH Carolinas Harvick4HighSchoolsGolf Program will continue its outreach this Fall as the women’s golf season begins as well.

In Guilford County, Bob Brooks, PGA takes on the role of facility host to two of our Guilford County Schools at Gillespie Golf Course while also providing golf lessons for these student athletes. Brooks is heavily involved with PGA REACH Carolinas, as he also supports our PGA HOPE and PGA Jr. League programs. This is Brooks’ second year instructing golf for our Harvick4HighSchoolsGolf program. In his first year with Harvick4HighSchoolsGolf, Jim Nemeti, PGA, has given his time to provide lessons for our two new Guilford County Schools at Grandover Resort. Providing one on one lessons with the students, Nemeti is able to quickly make a difference in his first year with the program.

Mecklenburg County Schools in the program are provided lessons from three different PGA professionals: Mike Abate, PGA, Rushi Oza, PGA, and Jay Reid, PGA In his second year with Harvick4HighSchoolsGolf, Abate provides his facility at Charles T Meyers Golf Course and gives lessons to two Mecklenburg County Schools. Abate also supports PGA Jr. League and helped lead Team North Carolina to victory in the 2022 National Car Rental PGA Jr. League Championship!

In their first year with the program, Oza gives lessons to one school at Highland Creek Golf Club, and Reid teaches the other at Sunset Hills Public Golf Course. We are very thankful to have these PGA Professionals help our program, as they are making a difference in the lives of the student athletes they serve