IAGA Quick Hits | 9.14.26
Golf With Us Brings Golf, Community and Opportunity Together at Frederick Douglass
From Indiana Golf
More than 250 kids filled Frederick Douglass Golf Course on Saturday, August 29, for a day designed around a simple idea: make golf fun, accessible and welcoming to everyone.
The Bank of America Golf With Us event brought together Indiana Golf, First Tee – Indiana, Youth on Course, Watson Links and community partners for a full day of activities, instruction and memorable experiences. More than 25 Indiana Golf staff members and volunteers were on hand, helping young golfers learn the game while celebrating the community surrounding one of Indianapolis’ most historic golf courses.
The morning began with five interactive stations spread throughout the facility. Kids had the opportunity to take full swings, test their putting and chipping skills, trade golf balls for soccer balls with FootGolf and step inside the Dryvebox mobile golf simulator.
For some, it was another opportunity to enjoy a game they already knew. For others, it was their first introduction to golf.
Either way, the objective was the same. The morning wasn’t about building perfect golf swings or keeping score. It was about connecting fun with the game and creating an experience that made kids want to pick up a club again.
And there were a few familiar faces helping make that experience even more memorable.
Indiana sports icons Tamika Catchings and Jeff Saturday joined the celebration, speaking with participants, signing autographs and spending time alongside the kids as they rotated through the stations.
When a Community Loves its Golf Course: Supporters of Druids Glen look to save it from development
From WA Golf
There are many ways the game of golf brings people together. Travel, charity fundraisers, buddy trips, tournaments, volunteering, weekly foursomes, family time for nine holes on a long summer evening.
Another way is when a beloved golf course – and the haven it provides to wildlife and as an environmental ecosystem – is threatened with development. People then look to each other for support in embracing a common goal.
Opened in 1997, Druids Glen Golf Club in Covington, Wash., spreads across 376 acres beneath the shadow of Mount Rainier, including the golf course and a habitat for deer, elk, the salmon-bearing Covington Creek and other wetlands with their natural inhabitants.
At the Remington Homeowners Association (RHOA) Annual Meeting held in May of 2025, Parks Legacy, which currently owns Druids Glen, presented to the homeowners their plan for the property. In their proposal, the golf course and clubhouse would be eliminated, and be replaced by 72 houses within a gated community.
Mark Rosenberger has lived in the Remington housing development adjacent to Druids Glen for over 30 years. After he retired from Boeing, he has served as something of a liaison between the RHOA and the golf course for the past dozen years.
In the days following that annual meeting, Rosenberger discussed the Parks Legacy proposal with his neighbors, and they felt they needed to do something. They received approval from the RHOA to officially form the Preserve Druids Glen Committee, which consists of five people, and they began organizing a plan in January of 2026.
GSGA Announces Partnership With Southern Company!
From the Georgia State Golf Association
The Georgia State Golf Association (GSGA) is proud to announce a new partnership with Southern Company, one of the largest energy providers in the United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, Southern Company will support the GSGA Adaptive Golf Program through its monthly community clinics and serve as the title sponsor of the Georgia Adaptive Open.
“We are proud to partner with Southern Company in support of our shared commitment to creating opportunities for all to enjoy the great game of golf,” said Matt Vanderpool, CEO, GSGA. “Together, we look forward to strengthening our programming for golfers of all ages and abilities across Georgia while showcasing the talent of our adaptive golf community.”
The GSGA Adaptive Golf Program is a complimentary community golf program with a mission to empower individuals with physical, cognitive or sensory impairments to enhance their lives through the game of golf. The program offers monthly clinics across the state providing participants with golf clubs, training aids, range balls, on-course learning and single-rider adaptive golf carts.
Adaptive Golf Is Growing in Minnesota — And Braemar Is Proof
From the Minnesota Golf Association
This fall, Braemar Golf Course will host the second Minnesota Adaptive Open, a championship-level tournament that gives golfers with disabilities a stage to compete at the highest level.
The event carries World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD) status, which means every player earns points toward international rankings. It’s a serious competition and a celebration of how far adaptive golf has come in Minnesota.
Nathan Lindberg, the MGA’s Youth & Adaptive Golf Manager, has watched this growth since the inaugural event last year.
“The player field has expanded, volunteer participation has increased, and overall awareness of the event has grown throughout Edina and the greater Minnesota golf community,” he said. “It’s exciting to see more people recognizing the championship and embracing adaptive golf.”
Bryan See, a longtime adaptive golfer and MGA volunteer, got his official adaptive golf pass this year and plans to compete for the first time.
“There’s almost twice as many people signed up already this year compared to last year,” he said.
He also credited the visibility adaptive golf has gained nationally, pointing to the U.S. Adaptive Open’s growing television coverage.