LUB SPORTS HAVE
been an integral part of uni-
versity and college campus
life for many years.
Clubs offer students quali-
ty athletic competition and social experi-
ences without the demands that Division
I or II scholarships can create.
Thanks to the vision and efforts of Kris
Hart, chief executive officer of NextGen-
Golf and the National Collegiate Club Golf
Association, and his organization staff,
club golf is in a boom phase that began
in 2014–15.
The NCCGA is the governing body for
collegiate club golf. Its mission statement
says it best: To ensure every college student
has the opportunity to play golf in college.
“What we try to get anybody to realize,
is if you played high school golf or junior
golf, it doesn’t matter where you go,
you can still play golf in college. Any
boy, any girl, any skill level,” says
Hart, who began conceptualizing
his idea in 2010. “As of this last year,
more than 222,000 kids played high
school golf and less than 7 percent
of them will play varsity in college.
What stuck out to me is that for 93
percent of these kids there is nothing
for them at the next level. As an industry
we’re losing people.
vsga.org
vsga.org
“I realized there was a significant hole
in the market that no one cared about.
Everybody in the golf industry in general
talks about the best of the best. As an
organization, not just in college, we focus
on the rest.”
In addition to the NCCGA, NextGen-
Golf also runs City Tour, which offers
team-based tournaments for golfers 21
and older, and the recently launched
National High School Golf Association.
Hart played varsity golf at Bryant Uni-
versity in Rhode Island for three years
then quit the team his senior year to focus
more on academics.
“For me it really stunk senior year
knowing what it’s like to be a varsity golf-
er and then being a non-varsity golfer.
There’s no competition. I couldn’t play for
free. People weren’t offering discounts. I
couldn’t afford to play,” Hart says.
The NCCGA staff will put together
about 130 college tournaments across the
country this year. Each college club team
pays dues to the NCCGA that cover opera-
tion and administration then there is a per
player cost for an event. If a team brings
five players, it pays for five. If it brings
25, it pays for 25. The average cost for the
two-day tournaments is $85 and includes
golf, cart, a sleeve of sponsor Srixon balls
and prizes.
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