The Jordan Spieth Family Foundation was pleased to host an all-day adaptive golf training day for the Little Linksters Association on Saturday May 30th at the Golf Academy of America in Orlando, FL. The training day focus was on their Golf Outreach Advances Life Skills (GOALS) program, assisting junior golfers with special needs and preparing instructors to support these aspiring youth athletes. GOALS instructors want to be equipped to welcome and enhance the golf game of any child regardless of physical setbacks.
The day was incredibly informative and set a goal of eventual full program immersion for all students. Guest speakers and trainers for this event included Steve Jubb of the PGA's Alliance for Accessible Golf, Akin Hughes-Joseph with Special Olympics Florida, and David Windsor of the PGA's Adaptive Golf Academy. The Adaptive Golf Association and the PGA HOPE program were also involved in the day's activities.
This event assists two pillars, support for special needs and junior golf, of the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation. The Foundation is proud of this initiative to make the game more accessible to all youth, as well as its mission to educate and train golf professionals. The Foundation is looking forward to helping propel Little Linkster and its GOALS program forward.
About Little Linksters Association for Junior Golf Development
The Little Linksters GOALS program, or Golf Outreach Advances Life Skills, was designed to bring golf to children with special needs. These exceptional students may have challenges that range from cognitive or developmental disabilities, to physical challenges. This is an inclusionary program in which the specific needs of the child are evaluated first and then a determination is made as to how they can best participate in a GOALS class, or integrated in with the traditional program. In building this program, there have been numerous in-kind clinics done for organizations such as Special Olympics of Seminole County, Special Olympics of Lake County, UCP of Central Florida, Central Florida Dreamplex, Celandine Life-Prep Academy, Sorrento Elementary Special Needs students, Autism Speaks Orlando, The Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida, Nathaniel’s Hope and more.
There are currently around 50 students benefitting from GOALS outreach programs. Little Linksters is excited to announce that a new partnership with Special Olympics of Florida that will extend the reach of the program. GOALS was also recently approved for a matching grant through the Alliance for Accessible Golf and is continually looking to find other partners to help reach the AAG grant's matching threshold. If you wish to learn more, or would like to help, contact Little Linksters at nonprofit@littlelinksters.com.