Goal to Advance Competitive Experiences for Young Golfers
(RIDGEFIELD, Conn.) – Junior Golf Hub (JGH) – the leading online community for junior golfers, their parents and college coaches – announces an expansion of its partnership with Notah Begay III, designed to advance junior golf by making playing opportunities and educational resources more accessible to young golfers everywhere.
Notah Begay III, a 4-time winner on the PGA TOUR and current Golf Channel analyst, will provide invaluable knowledge and guidance to help shape the experience of the Junior Golf Hub. He will also be instrumental in the advancement and promotion of the proprietary Player Development Index (PDI) Assessment, which helps players improve by systematically identifying weak links that prevent them from realizing their potential.
“We are proud to continue our partnership with Notah Begay III, including identifying and creating opportunities to positively affect the lives of young people through the game of golf,” says Roger Knick, founder of Junior Golf Hub, The Golf Performance Center, Ethan Allen Prep and The Giving Young People a Chance (GPC) Foundation. “Notah is a champion for improving access to golf for anybody who wants to pursue the game, which perfectly aligns with what we’re doing at the Junior Golf Hub.”
“The Junior Golf Hub is pioneering its unique golf platform that encompasses the areas of performance, assessment, technical support and networking in order to leverage the best opportunities for junior golfers and their families,” says Begay III. “Access and success in the game shouldn’t be based on race, gender or socio-economics, but whether or not a young player is willing to dedicate the work necessary to improve.”
In 2020, the Junior Golf Hub kicked off its partnership with the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship Tour Series. Through the partnership, all participants received free trial memberships and access to JGH, that easily connects juniors with college golf coaches to increase their ability to play college golf. After a successful first year, JGH and Notah Begay III will build upon their shared passion of providing young people with greater access to the tools necessary to achieve their dreams.
A native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Begay III started the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship in 2020 so that any player, regardless of skill or background, have the opportunity to play in competitive events. More than 3,000 juniors participated in the 2020 NB3 JGNC with each player receiving unencumbered access to tournament golf. The National Championship was played November 14-16 at the nationally ranked Koasati Pines Golf Club and was hosted by Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana. For many participants it was their first experience playing in front of a national television audience when the event was broadcast on Golf Channel.
Through JGH, golfers can tailor their searchable profiles to include academic and athletic measurables such as verified SAT/ACT scores, GPA, academic honors, tournament scores, swing speed, Player Development Index (PDI) and search 1500+ available tournaments to develop their tournament schedules. For those still seeking their perfect fit, JGH has a “Find a College” function with filters that narrow down results based on the program’s scoring average, acceptable test scores, tuition, majors offered, size of enrollment and more. College golf hopefuls are instantly notified in the JGH app when a collegiate program starts following them.
The online platform also offers a vast library of resources designed as a step-by-step guide to the college golf recruiting process through its blog, HitTheLinks, and the Essential Guide. The Essential Guide covers the key milestones and topics of the process, including communication with coaches, scholarship breakdown, research tips, a rules and regulations guide and more.
To date, nearly 10,000 athletes have created a profile on the Hub, while more than 1,000 members of JGH have gone on to play golf at an NCAA DI, DII, DIII or NAIA school. The current collegiate database consists of 2,300 men’s and women’s golf programs.
For more than 20 years, The Golf Performance Center, in partnership with the JGH, has successfully guided nearly 100 competitors as they prepare for golf at the highest levels. Alumni include multiple NCAA All-Americans, current and former student-athletes at 80 different colleges and universities, and professionals who have won on the Korn Ferry Tour, Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada and European Tour.
For questions about the Junior Golf Hub, contact Rick Dowling at rick@juniorgolfhub.com or call 203.530.9342. To learn more about JGH, visit www.juniorgolfhub.com.
About Junior Golf Hub
Junior Golf Hub (JGH) is the leading online community for junior golfers, their parents and college coaches, offering a modern, easily accessible website and mobile app that simplifies and streamlines the college golf placement process for prospects. JGH provides a one-of-a-kind tool to help players and parents navigate the confusing journey to college golf, while helping college coaches discover and connect with top talent. Prided on innovation, advanced technology, big-picture thinking and operating at the cutting-edge of the golf industry, JGH’s team includes a top PGA professional, former Division I collegiate golfers, a state amateur champion and season business professionals, focused on adding value to members across the world.
About the GPC Foundation
Since 2016, The Giving Young People a Chance (GPC) Foundation, a 501-C3 organization, has helped young athletes worldwide to achieve their goals of playing golf at the college level. Many talented young athletes are unable to afford coaching, equipment, and tournaments that will help them reach their potential. On average, a family can spend upwards of $800 per week on training. Roger Knick, Founder and Executive Director of GPC Foundation, Inc. wanted to give all young athletes, regardless of their family’s income, the opportunity to develop over time with a consistent training methodology. Thus, the GPC Foundation was born. Athletes from around the world can apply to receive scholarships at www.gpcfoundation.org.
About the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship
The NB3JGNC provides an opportunity for every junior golfer in the country to compete in a top-level Junior Golf National Championship. Junior golf participants will be given an unrestricted and accessible pathway to utilize their golf skills and achieve valuable national recognition. Players will not be required to have resumes, points rankings, or any other affiliations to play. Boys and Girls from across the country simply need to have an interest in competitive golf and testing their skills at the highest level. Learn more at www.jgnc.org.
