Player Information

U.S. Kids Golf Mission Statement: To help kids have fun learning the lifelong game of golf and encourage family interaction that builds lasting memories.

U.S. Kids Golf was founded on the idea that properly fit equipment for kids would make the game of golf more fun and easier to learn. The results were conclusive and emphatic. Kids were enjoying the game more than ever. But then what? As U.S. Kids Golf founder and baseball fan Dan Van Horn asked at the time, “What good are bats, balls and gloves if they can’t play in games?”

So the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship was born. Conducted in Jekyll Island, Georgia, the first event drew 220 players from 5 different countries. Even more, it set a standard for making tournament golf a family experience; specifically having parents take part in the event as caddies - a practice that many have credited as a highlight of their parent-child bond. At the end of the day, it means creating important lifelong memories for everyone. Additionally, the scaling of the course yardages at that championship - to allow players to set realistic goals for making birdies and pars - became an industry standard, and ultimately evolved into today’s widely lauded Longleaf Tee System.

Tournaments have since become a vital pillar of the U.S. Kids Golf community. The World Championships, now held in historic Pinehurst, North Carolina, are premier events in golf. Together, these events combine to annually host more than 2,300 players from more than 50 countries, and serve as two of the largest golf championships in the world.

U.S. Kids Golf Local Tours, founded in 2002, allows for players at all levels to enjoy tournament participation, while learning, competing, and spending time with new friends. There are now more than 115 U.S. Kids Golf Local Tours operating around the world.

Today, players start at a Local Tour level, and can advance as they improve to State, Regional, and even International competitions. The top-performing players, as determined by our Priority Status Rankings, can earn invitations to events above Local Tours up to and including the World Championship.

Click the following links to learn more about signing up for Local Tours, our Priority Status system,World Championship, or even the Longleaf Tee System. Parents can also visit our partners at the Positive Coaching Alliance to learn how to be a better proponent for your kid’s golf and even earn a Second-Goal Parent certification. Of course, all questions can be answered by calling our Tournaments division at 770-441-3077 or you can email us at tournaments@uskidsgolf.com.