JCPRD’s two golf courses are part of a program which offers low-cost golf rounds to youth.
Youth on Course is the name of this program, which is available at both the
Tomahawk Hills and
Heritage Park golf courses.
“We hope that this program eliminates financial barriers and brings more young players to the game of golf,” said HPGC Operations Manager Rob Wilkin. “High school golf is great for creating players. Almost every high school golfer continues to play the game the rest of their lives, but the vast majority of potential young golfers never play high school golf, and they can be reached through this program.”
Through Youth on Course, players ages six to 18 can play an 18-hole round of golf for $5. Junior players ages six to 11 have to be with an adult to be on the course proper, and ages 12 to 18 may play without an adult. This is available seven days a week, but only after 2 p.m. on weekdays when school is in session.
All YOC participants are issued an ID card and check in for their discounted rounds with that ID number. To get started, visit the Tomahawk Hills Golf Course at 17501 Midland Dr., the Heritage Park Golf Course at 16447 Constance St., Olathe, or online at
youthoncourse.org.
“The main expectation is to create future generations of golfers to play our courses,” Wilkin said. “We have run over 700 Youth on Course rounds over the last six months on JCPRD golf courses.”
His own history with the games gives testimony to the importance of getting young players into the game early.
“The game of golf captures you,” he said. “I happened to be 13 years old when I first started playing golf, but I think the earlier the better for juniors.”
Headquartered in Pebble Beach, Calif., Youth on Course is a non-profit organization serving as the charitable arm of the Northern California Golf Association. The core purpose of Youth on Course is to provide youth with life changing opportunities through golf. The program was brought to the Kansas City Metro area in 2016 by 39-time PGA tour winner and World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Watson and has been in place at JCPRD courses since 2019. The governing body for Youth on Course in the metro area is the Central Links Golf Association.