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Mar. 3—AIKEN — Students from Oakwood-Windsor Elementary School made up the majority of the participants at Bank of America's Golf with Us Clinic at the Old Barnwell Golf Club on March 2.
With several students joining from First Tee of Aiken, around 50 children were present altogether to learn the basics of golf via instruction from Professional Golfers' Association golf professionals.
The clinic was part of the More Than Golf Invitational, a women's college golf tournament organized by Annika Sorenstam's ANNIKA Foundation and presented by Bank of America.
Monday afternoon's young and eager participants went through five interactive stations in which they practiced putting, swinging, chipping and other golf skills.
"I think a lot of it is just giving kids access and just making them aware of what's possible," said Rob Ohno, President and CEO of the Annika Foundation. "Maybe some kids here play golf, maybe for some it's their first time. We realize not everyone is going to turn into a professional golfer here, but you've got to start somewhere just with the interest."
Golf with Us was launched during the 2025 Masters Tournament and aims to expand affordable access to golf for kids across the nation by providing youth ages 6-18 with a free one-year membership to Youth on Course.
Last year, nearly 100,000 utilized this free membership.
Ora Parish, the president of Bank of America for Aiken and Augusta, said that offering this membership is a way to increase affordability, which can be a barrier for students who have an interest in the sport.
"We want to have lots of different folks from lots of different neighborhoods in our community to have access to these various courses," he said. "100,000 kids across the U.S. represents a good cross section of the population, and they're having a good time learning life skills."
Oakwood-Windsor Elementary's involvement in the clinic is linked to the school's after school golf club in partnership with Old Barnwell. Through this club, students visit the country club every Friday afternoon to play golf for around an hour.
The school's principal, Davina Truitt, said that this partnership with Old Barnwell has been "instrumental" in exposing her students to the game.
She also said that the school's proximity to the club has been especially beneficial for the students.
"We are a rural, Title I school with a high poverty index. We want our students to know that geography does not define you, and so them being able to see that something like this is less than 10 minutes from our school is just amazing," Truitt said. "I think it really opens their eyes to the possibilities of what's in store."
Oakwood-Windsor fourth grader Ezra Diehl said that he hoped the clinic would help him sharpen his putting skills. However, the most fun he had was at the swinging station, "because I feel like I can hit it farther."
His advice to students who are unsure about picking up the game is to "just go for it."
Taylor Stephens, an Oakwood-Windsor first grader, said that Monday was her first time playing golf. She said one thing she learned during the clinic is "that I can do it."
She also said she would encourage her friends to try golf, "because it's fun to play."
The More Than Golf Invitational began on Feb. 28 and will last until Tuesday, March 3.
Continue reading...
With several students joining from First Tee of Aiken, around 50 children were present altogether to learn the basics of golf via instruction from Professional Golfers' Association golf professionals.
The clinic was part of the More Than Golf Invitational, a women's college golf tournament organized by Annika Sorenstam's ANNIKA Foundation and presented by Bank of America.
Monday afternoon's young and eager participants went through five interactive stations in which they practiced putting, swinging, chipping and other golf skills.
"I think a lot of it is just giving kids access and just making them aware of what's possible," said Rob Ohno, President and CEO of the Annika Foundation. "Maybe some kids here play golf, maybe for some it's their first time. We realize not everyone is going to turn into a professional golfer here, but you've got to start somewhere just with the interest."
Golf with Us was launched during the 2025 Masters Tournament and aims to expand affordable access to golf for kids across the nation by providing youth ages 6-18 with a free one-year membership to Youth on Course.
Last year, nearly 100,000 utilized this free membership.
Ora Parish, the president of Bank of America for Aiken and Augusta, said that offering this membership is a way to increase affordability, which can be a barrier for students who have an interest in the sport.
"We want to have lots of different folks from lots of different neighborhoods in our community to have access to these various courses," he said. "100,000 kids across the U.S. represents a good cross section of the population, and they're having a good time learning life skills."
Oakwood-Windsor Elementary's involvement in the clinic is linked to the school's after school golf club in partnership with Old Barnwell. Through this club, students visit the country club every Friday afternoon to play golf for around an hour.
The school's principal, Davina Truitt, said that this partnership with Old Barnwell has been "instrumental" in exposing her students to the game.
She also said that the school's proximity to the club has been especially beneficial for the students.
"We are a rural, Title I school with a high poverty index. We want our students to know that geography does not define you, and so them being able to see that something like this is less than 10 minutes from our school is just amazing," Truitt said. "I think it really opens their eyes to the possibilities of what's in store."
Oakwood-Windsor fourth grader Ezra Diehl said that he hoped the clinic would help him sharpen his putting skills. However, the most fun he had was at the swinging station, "because I feel like I can hit it farther."
His advice to students who are unsure about picking up the game is to "just go for it."
Taylor Stephens, an Oakwood-Windsor first grader, said that Monday was her first time playing golf. She said one thing she learned during the clinic is "that I can do it."
She also said she would encourage her friends to try golf, "because it's fun to play."
The More Than Golf Invitational began on Feb. 28 and will last until Tuesday, March 3.
Continue reading...
