Payne Stewart embraces Phil Mickelson at the 1999 U.S. Open. | Steve Schaefer/Getty Images
The Payne Stewart Foundation plays an integral role in bringing playing opportunities to thousands of children.
As Playing Through continues to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Payne Stewart’s remarkable win at the U.S. Open, we want to highlight the tremendous work that his foundation continues to do.
The Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation, which provides golfing opportunities for young children, has grown exponentially as of late.
It defines the mantra of ‘growing the game.’
Consider this: In 2023, the foundation introduced golf to roughly 15,000 children in the United States. But the foundation has expanded its reach thanks to some key partnerships, like the YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, local churches, and even multiple Air Force bases. It projects that it will reach 65,000 children in 2024 thanks to these relationships.
But what does the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation do?
It introduces golf to children as young as three—when many start playing soccer, tee-ball, or basketball.
But these young kids are not playing at municipal courses or at country clubs.
They learn the game at camps, parks, and schools across the country, using modified learning equipment designed by the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation to help them learn the game.
And it has made an enormous difference.
“It’s beginner golf,” explained Kelly McCammon, the Founder of the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation.
“Think of every sport. Soccer has a smaller ball and a smaller field. Basketball has a smaller ball and a lower hoop. Same thing for tee-ball. But for some reason, the golf world never went there. A real club and a real ball is very advanced. You can learn with it, obviously, but it’s just harder to do so. You need more money, time, and better instructions.”
Golf has long had an accessibility issue, whether because of the game’s difficulty, lack of means, or limited access. You do not need to learn how to hit a golf ball on a golf course. You can do so in an elementary school gym, a local YMCA, or a local park.
“Everybody should learn how to hit a golf ball,” McCammon further explained.
“We want to be the golf equivalent of tee-ball or the bunny slope in the skiing industry. If you start at the age of seven on a golf course, it’s really like starting fast pitch [baseball], and those kids are skipping the entry-level.”
Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation Curriculum
From character lessons to equipment to diagrams on playing games that correlate with golf, the foundation provides everything a group instructor would need.
Within that training, roughly 40 different games and activities exist, all of which are part of a pre-built schedule depending on the duration of the session. Only certain parameters are met if an after-school camp runs for only an hour. But if it’s a week-long summer camp with three-hour sessions, more activities are included.
“The way we lay it out is we try to progress from day one or week one to day five or week five,” said Colby Morris, the Director of Programming at the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation.
“Earlier on, we are doing smaller things, and historically, what you see in the game of golf, is people want to hit the ball as far as they can and go straight into a full-swing lesson. Well, most people—and children—can’t hit the ball with a full swing, so… we try to start from the smallest swings. Let’s work on putting and chipping.”
Funny enough, Tiger Woods first learned how to putt, then moved gradually away from the hole as he matured.
The same principle applies to the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation curriculum, as children will start with putting and then progress from there.
But it’s not as if camp leaders should shy away from children attempting to make a full swing.
“We try to get there as quickly as we can,” Morris added.
“They get the full swing by day three in a camp structure of our schedule. Some leaders may get them there a little bit earlier, which is totally fine, but we do have a progression there. The leaders can plug in what game they want to play there depending on what they think is best.”
The key to the success of these training lessons is having a leader who understands how to work with kids, not golf. That point cannot be understated.
The ultimate goal is not to create a professional golfer but one who can play the game recreationally for life. Sure, if a young child demonstrates exquisite talent, opportunities are available. But most children are not going to play on the PGA Tour.
“What we’re showing is how a physical education teacher with a four-year degree is more capable of facilitating these camps because they have all this knowledge about how kids develop in their brains,” McCammon said.
“The PGA approach is to stay on the golf course and for kids to come to their places. But now, more of the big PGA leaders want PGA [teaching professionals] to stay their course and let groups like ourselves start introducing the game to children.”
The Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation is simply creating a much-needed step for young children, introducing them to the game. Then, once they are ready, they can take their skillset to the next level with a PGA professional.
“The beautiful thing about the curriculum that our team has helped develop is it is ‘dummy-proof,’ as I like to call it,” added McCammon, a PGA of America member for 25 years in Tennessee.
“You can watch training videos as a parent, and then you have a structured program for 10 kids, 20 kids, or 30 kids.”
The curriculum includes an expansive video library of games, providing instructors with all the necessary resources. Instructors are also provided with an iron, a putter, a learning net, balls, and 12-inch Velcro discs, as camps can facilitate this program for up to 44 children at a time.
Partnership with Skyhawks Sports Academy
One such organization that the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation has partnered with is Skyhawks, a youth sports camp company founded over 40 years ago in Spokane, Washington.
When established, the goal for Skyhawks was to create an environment where kids could learn the fundamentals of sports in a safe, fun, and non-competitive setting.
They continue to do so today in over 30 states, with roughly 150,000 kids participating in their camps.
The company started with soccer, with help from the Gonzaga University soccer program, and has since expanded to offer programs in 11 different sports—one now being golf.
In their camps, which run year-round, Skyhawks incorporates golf based activities on the curriculum provided by the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation.
“The best thing about the curriculum is that it’s an activity-based curriculum. It’s not just stand in line and do this,” explained Andrew Chapman, the Executive Director of Business Development for Skyhawks Sports Academy.
“We don’t actually need golf individuals teaching it either. Some of them have a golf background, but they’re all so full of energy and excitement, it allows us to connect with the kids. They can go out there and play activity-based games, have fun with it, and show these kids, ‘Hey, look, this isn’t that hard, and it is a lot of fun.’”
All of Skyhawks’ coaches are Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) certified and receive up to nine hours of training. They each go through background checks and positive coaching clinics, too.
Skyhawks has a presence in thousands of schools across the country, facilitating after-school camps. They also run week-long camps during the summer months.
But, perhaps most importantly, the company recognizes that it must foster opportunities for children in need, especially those who do not have the means and come from difficult upbringings.
Hence, Skyhawks Rise, which is the philanthropic arm of Skyhawks that paves the road of opportunity.
Through private and public donations and grants, Skyhawks Rise has been able to offer free summer camps for youth, as well as free after-school programs and free-clinic style programs for various sports, including golf.
“I think our partnership with the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation and the equipment they’re able to provide also allows us to be a bit more flexible and accommodating. We don’t need to be on a traditional green or golf course,” said Chelsie Hawley, the Executive Director of Skyhawks Rise.
“We can be set up in a gym space, which is important during the winter months when we’re not able to be outside playing soccer or something like that. Golf is easily accommodated into a gym setting with the Payne Stewart equipment. And so we’re still able to get those reps in with kids and introduce them to a sport that they’ve likely never participated in before, but just in an environment that looks a little bit different.”
Millions of individuals across the United States struggle to make ends meet. As a result, roughly one in five children in this country live in poverty—and that number is only increasing.
And yet, children as young as the age of three have access to sports—and golf—thanks to Skyhawks and the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation.
Talk about growing and diversifying the game.
Just as Payne Stewart had dreamed and envisioned.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
