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Gold-Plated Donation

Southeast Florida junior golf programs offer a wide variety of opportunities for children to learn and play the game.

Four chapters of the First Tee teach their golf and life skills programs from St. Lucie to Miami-Dade counties.

LPGA/USGA Girls Golf is offered at multiple locations to promote the game to young girls.

Members of the South Florida PGA Section offer many opportunities for juniors to play, including PGA Junior League and the Section’s impressive junior golf tournament schedule.

The FSGA’s Florida Junior Tour and the American Junior Golf Association also conduct many top-tier tournaments.

What enables these junior programs to happen? Donations, as most programs and tournaments are conducted by non-profit organizations or PGA and LPGA Professionals looking to give back.

“We impact over 3,000 children and veterans at golf courses in South Florida each year through generous donations from many different sources,” said Steve Rockoff, chairman of the First Tee of Palm Beaches, Treasure Coast and Broward. “Individuals, corporations and country clubs all support us, and we know we can always count on the support of the golf license plate program.”

Created in 2002 by the Dade Amateur Golf Association, the Florida Junior Golf Council was formed to benefit junior programs. Through the efforts of the late Charlie DeLucca, the “Golf Capital of the World” license plate was passed into law by the Florida legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush.

All revenue generated from the sale of the plates supports junior golf. To date, more than $8.7 million has been distributed, making the plate program one of the biggest donors to the junior game.

The FJGC has a board of golf advocates who oversee the grant process. This Board is actively assisted in its evaluation process by the Florida State Golf Association, a non-profit organization that has served as the governing body of the game in Florida since 1913.

This FJGC grant program is designed to assist organizations that introduce young people to golf, through instruction and competition, teach the values and Rules of Golf, stress integrity, courtesy, self-discipline, and other life skills. Additionally, the grant program assists junior golf organizations that serve economically disadvantaged youth, children with special needs and the general population.

The FJGC recently has awarded grants to many statewide golf programs including 12 chapters of First Tee, the Orlando Minority Youth Golf Association, the Indian River Golf Foundation and the North Florida Junior Golf Foundation. The FJGC is planning to significantly increase the size of grants for the next year because of the impact of COVID-19 on junior programs.

“We are now seeing that junior golf programs have to offer smaller class sizes, pay for more coaches to ensure safety and spend unbudgeted funds on thermometers, sanitizer, masks and gloves,” said Charlie DeLucca III, executive director of The First Tee of Miami and FJGC board member. “After speaking with several junior program executive directors and administrators, it became obvious that the FJGC needed to step in and assist.

All Florida golfers recognize the license plate, but many do not understand the incredible impact it has on junior golf.

The easiest way to purchase the license plate is at renewal, when tax collectors send notices. You can get the plate by registering online or in person at the office of the tax collector or tag agency.

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