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History of the Program
The youth of Aiken have a broad range of organized sports available to them, but golf has had limited access due to most facilities being private. To help this situation a program was initiated in 2002 to give “kids” who would not normally have access to golf an opportunity to learn about the game. The inspiration for the program came from memorials made to Frank R. Lock, Jr. following his untimely death in 2000. Lock had been a prominent golfer in the area and held the course record at the Palmetto Golf Club for twenty-eight years. He had a strong interest in junior golf and wanted to initiate a program for youth in Aiken.
Initial discussions with the City of Aiken Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department, indicated strong support for a junior golf program and the suggestion was made to contact the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) and evaluate their program called Hook A Kid on Golf. Through their program, materials can be purchased for each child that include a carry bag, junior clubs, shirt, hat and golf balls. These are good quality clubs and are selected to match the size of the child. Upon completion of a clinic, participants are allowed to keep the materials.
A non-profit organization, Aiken Junior Sports Association (AJSA), was established and the decision was made to develop the Aiken Hook a Kid on Golf program. In its initial year (2002), clinics were conducted at the Palmetto Golf Club and Houndslake Country Club with a total of 51 boys and girls participating. Starting the next year, the number of clinics was expanded to five held each summer at various golf facilities in Aiken County. Professional staffs at each club and many dedicated volunteers have been critical to the program’s success over the years. The program was recognized in 2006 by the NAYS as the Site of the Year out of 250 Hook A Kid on Golf Clinics across the country. The program coordinator and President of the AJSA at that time, Joe Spencer, received the Don Springer award.
In 24 years of operation almost 4,000 boys and girls (ages 8 – 13) have participated in the program. Past participants now make up a significant portion of local golf teams at the middle and high school levels, and several have received golf scholarships for college. Golf proficiency is one measure of the success of the program, but the more important one is the kids being introduced to a game they can play throughout their life. Golf provides a great venue to teach many important concepts – honesty, respect for your opponents, responsibility for knowing and abiding by the rules, proper behavior and individual responsibility for your performance.
Though the clinics primarily serve the youth of Aiken County, Aiken Hook a Kid on Golf is particularly proud of the fact we also have participants from as far as an hour or more away. This year, we had youth from North Augusta, Barnwell, McCormick, Lexington, Wagner, Edgefield and elsewhere in South Carolina and from Augusta, Evans and Martinez in Georgia. This is in addition to numerous grandchildren from as far away as Colorado and Texas who were sponsored by their grandparents for the week.
The Aiken area is blessed to have numerous golf courses willing to support Junior Golf by donating their facilities for use by the Aiken Hook A Kid on Golf program at no charge. During 2026, we are excited to once again use the same five golf facilities which were used in 2025.
Information on our currently-open clinics can be found here.
Thanks to the generous support of local individuals, businesses, the City of Aiken, and community grants, about 50% of the anticipated 2026 $330 per-child program cost is covered. Though we do charge a program fee to participants, no children are turned away due to inability to pay. Historically, over 10% of participants are on scholarship as we work with some specific after-school programs and the Police Athletic League to reach underserved youth. Information on becoming a contributor is found here.
The Aiken Hook a Kid On Golf clinics are run entirely by volunteers. Normally, there are 12 – 16 volunteers participating each day to allow the clinic to run smoothly. All types of volunteers are needed! Applications can be submitted here.
