Since Woods' rookie season on the PGA Tour, he has helped take golf from the country clubs to the inner city, making it cool to play golf, the same way Venus and Serena Williams have helped changed the perception of tennis in the eyes of many urban youths. And a lot more kids are getting involved in golf that wouldn't have before. At the high school level, Rancho High has been able to field a full boys and girls team because of the Southern Nevada Inner City Youth Golf Association. They had a team, but they've always had to forfeit matches, and I'd say within the last two years they've been able to field a full team. It's taken some time, but Southern Nevada, renowned for its first-class golf courses, is starting to produce its share of talented junior golfers.
More stars are on their way.
I'm getting phone calls from parents of kids five and six that want to get in. In my six to eight year old division, those kids are getting more competitive. Those kids strive to get better, go out and practice more. These kids include Christian Garcia, Sean Kim and Brad Thompson, who Schlosser said should be very good high school golfers in the future. The goal of the nationwide program is to give all kids a chance to learn how to play golf, and give them access to course time, practice time, and lesson time at a reasonable cost.