One of only a few professional Black golfers on the PGA Tour, Harold Varner III, is a role model for Black and minority youth with hopes of playing golf. As a boy growing up in North Carolina, Varner was exposed to the game through a program at a municipal golf course that provided access to junior golfers at an affordable cost, much like Youth on Course.
Inspired by Harold Varner’s journey and commitment to uplifting the next generation of youth and minority golfers, Youth on Course has named Harold Varner III as its first national ambassador. Youth on Course is a nonprofit organization dedicated to opening doors, supporting dreams, and transforming the lives of young people through opportunities on and off the golf course.
It’s all about access, and Youth on Course helps to eliminate one of golf’s most significant barriers for young people, cost. Youth on Course provides members access to play more than 1,400 golf courses across the country for $5 or less, along with benefits and opportunities that support their journey with the game.
Courtesy HV3 Foundation
To date, Varner III has contributed to Youth on Course Carolinas through his nonprofit HV3 Foundation and will be expanding support by substantially funding the Carolinas region’s programming in 2021.
In his new role, Varner III serves as the official spokesperson for Youth on Course and will advocate for the organization’s mission of providing affordable access to golf. Varner and Youth on Course bring life-changing opportunities to young golfers nationwide and help create a more inclusive and diverse future for the game.
Varner III created the HV3 Foundation in 2019 to help bring awareness to the rising cost of entry and access in sports and provide kids with affordable opportunities to help negate those challenges. Through personal funding, fundraising, donations, and sponsorships, the Foundation has provided financial assistance for equipment, after-school programs, instruction, and camps to cultivate young people’s passions. The HV3 Foundation also hosts an annual HV3 Invitational for junior golfers. In addition, it is the tournament title sponsor for an American Junior Golf Association Junior All-Star event.
Courtesy Youth on Course
Youth on Course is committed to making the game more appealing, inclusive, and accessible to nurture the next generation of lifelong players and lovers of the game. The organization provides more than 100,000 members with affordable access to play rounds of golf for $5 or less at more than 1,400 courses across the country.
In 2020, Youth on Course saw a significant rise in play, with membership increasing by 56% and eclipsing one million rounds of golf played. Fueling the golf industry,
A whopping 400,000 rounds of golf were subsidized by the golf industry, increasing 100% from the previous year and generating a total of $2.8 million back to golf courses from unused tee times.
