Golf With Us clinic, Youth on Course program both big hits for young OKC golfers
By Ken MacLeod
Whether the next Austin Eckroat or just a weekend warrior, if any of the children being introduced to golf at the Bank of America sponsored Golf With Us clinic at Lincoln Park Wednesday night become lifelong enthusiasts, that’s a very good thing.
Eckroat, the 26-year-old two-time PGA Tour winner from Edmond, was the featured speaker at the clinic, which featured some 80 or so young golfers from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma City as well as participants from the Youth On Course program that was adopted by the Oklahoma City municipal courses for 2025.
Youth on Course is a nonprofit organization that partnered with Bank of America – the Golf with Us Clinics are hosted by BofA.
The Youth on Course program allows golfers ages 6 to 18 to join the program for $40 and play golf at no charge thereafter, with Bank of America reimbursing the courses for the rounds played by the young golfers. – Bank of America offered 86,000 youth a free one-year membership to Youth on Course. Through that membership, they access thousands of courses for $5 or less.
That program has resulted in more than 7,200 rounds played this summer at the eight courses in the Oklahoma City area who registered for the program, including more than 1,100 at Lincoln Park. Nationally more than 85,000 rounds have been played under the auspices of the program since it began in May.
Left to right, Brian Davis, executive director of the South Central PGA Section, Ginger Brown-Lemm, a player engagement consultant with the PGA of America and Aaron Kristopeit, Lincoln Park Director of Golf.Those numbers represent a dramatic increase for Lincoln Park, the 36-hole facility in northeast Oklahoma City. Though it’s known as a hub for competitive junior golf in the state, with numerous high schools tournaments and championships, Oklahoma Junior Golf Tour events, collegiate events and more, it typically does not receive a lot of individual youth golf rounds with the course not being in or near many neighborhoods. Most juniors in the area would typically play at the James E. Stewart Course, also the home of the First Tee-Oklahoma City program.
“It’s gotten more kids out here in the summer time than Lincoln Park has seen in any of the 15 years I’ve been at Lincoln Park,” said Aaron Kristopeit, director of golf. “It’s been great to see kids back out here in the summer time, spending time and hanging out.”
The clinic featured four stations run by Lincoln Park assistant professional, one for putting, chipping, irons and driving. Eckroat, after giving opening remarks encouraging the young golfers to work hard and believe in themselves, went to the driving range to bomb a few drives for the amazed young golfers.
President of Bank of America Oklahoma City Tony Shinn encourages the attendees.Tony Shinn, the president of Bank of America Oklahoma City, was the emcee and said both the clinic and the sponsorship of Youth on Course have been a huge success for the bank. He also encouraged the young golfers to follow their dreams and they would be able to accomplish whatever they chose to do in life.
Eckroat, a two-time Class 6A state champion at Edmond North, All-American and NCAA champion at Oklahoma State and now a successful PGA Tour veteran, volunteered his time to encourage the participants, saying he was more than happy to give back to the community. Also on hand to assist were golfers from the University of Oklahoma women’s team and Edmond Memorial girls golf team.
