YOC Member Spotlight: Joseph
Joseph with Coach Joe Sanchez from the Junior Golf Center.
As part of #YOCWeek, the MGA Foundation is celebrating the opportunities provided for juniors with a Youth on Course Membership. YOC member Joseph Rowdis recently shared with the MGAF his experience as a YOC member and what he's learned from the game of golf. Joseph uses his YOC membership for discounted rounds at Dyker Beach Golf Course in Brooklyn, where, thanks to YOC, he can play more frequently with his dad, friends, and other family members.
MGAF: How did you first learn about the Youth on Course program?
JR: I found about the program from the Junior Golf Center (located next to Dyker Beach). The coaches told me about it last year when I joined the Academy at the Center. They told us that with a membership, we could establish a Handicap and record our scores.
MGAF: What do you think makes golf different from other sports?
JR: I feel like golf is different from other sports like basketball, soccer or other sports because golf is such a gentlemen’s game. Each person is responsible for themself: recording their scores, how they handle themself professionally with other people, and it’s all about the player. Each player has control over everything in their game. I feel that golf is something that is unique and reaches worldwide- anybody can play it, and it’s a sport you can play throughout the rest of your life. It’s almost like a privlege or something special to know how to play.
MGAF: What has the game of golf taught you?
JR: Golf teaches me a lot of etiquette and respect. When you’re on the course with a lot of people, you each respect each other, follow the Rules, and are courteous to each other. Golf also teaches me a lot about different mechanics of the game itself, especially when I play it a lot. Overall, just looking at the game of golf itself, it can also teach me that it’s something great to have and wonderful to be able to play.
MGAF: What inspires you to keep practicing and playing golf?
JR: The coaches at the Junior Golf Center who I have learned from, especially Coach Wally. He provided opportunities for us to play golf at the Center. He inspired me to a play a lot of golf and helped me get more into it. I liked his teaching style and he made it welcoming to want to learn how to play golf more. I got into it more, and I love it, and he really helped elevate my game a lot through teaching and working with him.
Joseph is just one of the YOC Members in the Met Area with access to discounted rounds at more than 30 facilities and a number of other member benefits. Learn more about a Youth on Course Membership, available to junior golfers ages 6-18.