“Hook A Kid” Celebrates 10 Years in 2000
Hook A Kid On Golf has enriched the lives of 20,000 children across the country since its inception in 1990.
by holly alcala, bret seymour and candy smith

The number of children participating in Illinois’ Hook A Kid On Golf program doubled from 1998 to 1999.

Hook A Kid On Golf (HAKOG), a program of the National Alliance for Youth Sports, celebrates its tenth birthday in the year 2000. HAKOG is a national golf skill development program that gives youngsters who normally would not have the opportunity to learn the sport of golf without any of the costs that are associated with the sport. Since its inception, HAKOG has enriched the lives of 20,000 children across the country through the sport of golf and has enforced many of life’s greater values.

Hook A Kid On Golf of Illinois, a state chapter of the national program, was established in 1998 by golf enthusiasts Jerry Rich and Don Springer. Rich and Springer are dedicated to bringing this game into the lives of young children. The HAKOG of Illinois offices are at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, which had the distinct honor of being rated fifth in the private course category in Golf Digest’s survey of Best New Courses for 1999.

The number of children participating in Illinois’ HAKOG program doubled from 1998 to 1999. Approximately 60 clinics were held statewide and more than 1,200 children were introduced to the game of golf. In the year 2000, it’s projected that more than 2,000 children will have the opportunity to participate in HAKOG in Illinois.

In addition to the Tee Level Clinics and Challenge Golf Leagues presently being offered, new this year will be Continuation Clinics for kids who have already participated in Tee Level Clinics and also a Caddie Training Program for boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 15 years of age who have been active in the HAKOG program.

If you are interested in initiating a HAKOG of Illinois program at your district or would like support for an existing program, call Holly Alcala, program director, at 630.466.1451.

The following communities are participating in Illinois’ 2000 Hook A Kid On Golf program.

39| Illinois Parks and Recreation | May / June 2000

How Hook A Kid On Golf Plays So Well in Peoria
During the six years of its existence, the Peoria Park District’s Hook A Kid On Golf (HAKOG) program has been doing just that, hooking disadvantaged Peoria-area youth on the game to which they might otherwise never been introduced. The Peoria chapter of HAKOG began in 1994 and has seen rapid interest, involvement and support.

This growth culminated in August of 1999 when the Peoria Park District was asked to host the National HAKOG and Traditions of Golf Challenge weekend. The event brought youth, parents, and coaches from all over the United States to Peoria to participate in a weekend of golf lessons, rules, etiquette, games, and an event-ending tournament on Sunday. The Peoria HAKOG staff turned a highly successful local program into a premiere event for the entire community and golfing public to embrace.

The success of the Peoria chapter of HAKOG can be traced to the support it has received from the golfing community and the park district board of trustees. The board has been there time and again supporting the event on both the financial and organizational fronts. Furthermore, the Peoria community has dedicated its time and efforts in helping make the HAKOG program a success. Each year Candy Smith, Peoria’s HAKOG site coordinator, has worked hand-in-hand with local volunteers and park district golf professionals to make this program a class act.

“We are fortunate that our golf professionals are so dedicated to our youth golf efforts,” says Smith. “We feel their expertise and involvement lends credibility to the program and gives the kids a chance to be taught and mentored by the best possible staff.”

The main draw of the Peoria HAKOG program is how it brings about diversity to the local golf scene. The program introduces many low income children to a game they previously knew nothing about. The Peoria program, which is 95 percent minority driven, not only enriches the minority community and gives them opportunities they may not have previously had, but it also helps the park district in a multitude of ways. By introducing new golfers to the game and increasing the diversity of the golfing public, it creates a unique partnership with the minority community to create new challenges to all involved.

Furthermore, the Peoria HAKOG program doesn’t end when the program is over. To keep the youth interested and involved in the game, the park district goes a step further by continuing practice and participation times throughout the year. Volunteers and interested local golfers will take the kids out to the practice range or to the course to help them fine tune their skills and keep them interested in the game.

The park district sees the growing minority interest in golf as an ongoing process. They realize the HAKOG program is just the first step in enhancing this partnership. By introducing the participants to the game, the park district has now allowed unique challenges and successes to the kids, while increasing their own golfing market through junior events and tournaments. The Peoria Park District Hook A Kid On Golf program truly has caught on. 

Bret Seymour
is the former coordinator of marketing and golf for the Peoria Park District.

Candy Smith
is the administrative assistant of Golf for the Peoria Park District.

Holly Alcala
is the program director for the Hook A Kid On Golf program in Illinois. For more information, call 630.466.1451.

The success of the Peoria chapter of HAKOG can be traced to the support it has received from the golfing community and the park district board of trustees.

40| Illinois Parks and Recreation | May / June 2000