The Golf Association of Philadelphia launched a new effort in 2000. Working with the United States Golf Association, GAP started a program known as PLAY Golf, whose purpose is to assist community efforts to expand access to golf for urban youth.
  In our first six years, we established contact with 13 youth programs across the region and provided many with golf balls, clubs and volunteers.
  Fundraising programs are being developed to make the program self-supporting and to provide additional support for community efforts to bring young people to golf.

  Four primary goals have been established for the program:

•   Assist area programs funded by the USGA with specific needs, which might include equipment, balls, volunteers, instruction and fundraising.
•   Identify program participants who seem most interested in golf. Working with interested member clubs, the GAP and the J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship Trust to direct some interested people to caddie opportunities and ultimately, to assistance in obtaining higher education.
•   Open discussions with area organizations that have a similar focus to see how we can pool resources to avoid duplication of effort and obtain the greatest possible impact.
•   Raise funds from foundations and other sources to provide the most assistance possible to make this program self-sustaining.