When Jason Kuiper, PGA, looked over all the programming he and his team at the Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta had to offer, he noticed something was missing.
“We have so much to offer for kids and so much for adults,” said Kuiper, the Director of Instruction at Bobby Jones Golf Course, “but we didn’t have an opportunity for them to enjoy golf together.”
The solution? PGA Family Cup.
“I know a lot of courses do their own parent/child event, but PGA Family Cup—with the PGA of America branding and the ease of registering on the website—just made sense for us,” Kuiper said. “It just fit and made adding a parent/child event so easy.”
Kuiper and his team offer a full slate of programming options at Bobby Jones Golf Course: three seasons of PGA Jr. League—two in the spring and one in the fall—comprised of two leagues, one for ages 7-13 and another for players ages 4-6, as well as a popular summer camp program and a variety of programs aimed at adults.
PGA Family Cup offered an easy way to get families on the course together—while increasing engagement and driving increased value back to his facility, especially with his PGA Jr. League programs already at capacity.
“We make PGA Family Cup into a Sunday afternoon thing where families come out, participate in the event, then maybe head into the restaurant for dinner or come out and practice during the week,” Kuiper said.
Plugging PGA Family Cup into the programming schedule was easy, Kuiper says. With PGA Jr. League scheduled March through May, summer camps in June and July, and a fall season of PGA Jr. League that kicks off right after Labor Day, August was the perfect fit for PGA Family Cup.
The ease of registration and strength of the PGA of America brand also made the addition a simple choice.
“The support from the PGA of America, whether it’s the website, registration, the marketing materials or the resources, it all makes it easy to offer PGA Family Cup,” Kuiper said. “Getting parents and kids on the course together in a parent/child event is invaluable, but it’s an advantage to run it as a PGA Family Cup event. The branding, the website, the support—it’s a huge help!”
Kuiper and his team structure each PGA Family Cup series much like a PGA Jr. League season. Events take place each Sunday afternoon in August. For the first three weeks of the season, families play nine holes on the Cupp Links, a five-hole, par-three course, amassing points that set up the finale. A nine-hole stroke play scramble on “the big course,” the finale takes place on the last Sunday of the month.
Throughout the Family Cup season, Kuiper and his team keep the families updated on scores and standings.
“We encourage our parents to share the scores and standings with their kids,” Kuiper said. “It really gets the competitive juices flowing.”
While the standings may help amp up the excitement, Kuiper says PGA Family Cup provides a low-stress environment for adults and juniors alike to simply learn and enjoy the game.
“Family Cup is a good opportunity without a lot of pressure or a lot of stress,” Kuiper said. “The scramble nature makes it good for kids who are still developing their skills. Playing it on the Cupp Links and having a short course available means that parents or grandparents who don’t play a lot of golf are more willing to play.”
And more than that, PGA Family Cup is just fun!
“Parents get to spend time with their kids,” Kuiper said, “and it’s the highlight of their week.”
