In 2001, research conducted by GOLF 20/20 confirmed the belief that early instruction in golf leads to a greater likelihood of long-term involvement with the game. Adults who were exposed to golf through a structured junior program play 58% more rounds and spend 71% more money on golf than adults who were only informally exposed to the game in their childhoods.

However, youth initiatives like The First Tee emphasize life skills and character development (such as The First Tee’s Nine Core Values: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment). Realizing the need for more information about the off-the-course benefits of these programs, GOLF 20/20 commissioned an extensive literature review to:

• Review the available research on the impact of youth golf programs on positive life behaviors;


• Quantify that research;


• Discuss the limitations of that research;


• Sketch out a comprehensive research program that would build a persuasive case for existing and new programs;


• Provide a bibliography of all existing research and pertinent articles.

The full report— authored by Dr. Peter Ryan and Michael Chorost of SRI International, is available for download.


DOWNLOAD REPORT (675 KB)





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