TULSA, Okla. — The fairways at Page Belcher Golf Course looked a little different Thursday as dozens of Tulsa’s youngest athletes traded the gridiron for the green.
NFL All-Pro wide receiver and Tulsa native Tyler Lockett returned to his hometown to host the Golf With Us clinic in partnership with Bank of America.
The event brought together more than 60 children from the Tulsa Dream Center and the Salvation Army Red Shield Youth Centers for an afternoon of professional instruction and life lessons.
For Lockett, a Booker T. Washington High School graduate, the clinic was a full-circle moment.
He noted that the discipline required for golf mirrors the resilience needed to succeed in life.
“For me growing up, I played so many sports that were intense, like football and basketball,” Lockett said. “The more that you get into golf, you start to learn so many different life lessons. Every single hole you got to create a game plan. Sometimes you get to stick to that game plan and sometimes you got to learn how to adjust. It’s similar like that in life too.”
The initiative aims to strip away the financial barriers often associated with the sport.
Through the Golf With Us program, participants receive a free one year membership to Youth on Course, which allows them to play rounds of golf for $5 or less at thousands of courses nationwide, including several in the Tulsa area.
Bill Lissau, the Oklahoma Market President for Bank of America, said the program is about more than just a single afternoon on the course.
“It’s actually providing access for golfing and teaching life lessons to kids across Tulsa. For $5, you join the Youth on Course program and you get access not just to golf courses across Tulsa, but also to simulators.”
Local community leaders emphasized that the program provides opportunities to children who might otherwise feel excluded from the sport.
Tim Newton, the Executive Director of the Tulsa Dream Center, said the exposure is invaluable for students.
“Bringing access to our boys and girls to be able to come, play on a golf course that they probably drive by almost every single day, but they never realized they had access to, it’s amazing. They’re experiencing things that they may not [have been] able to experience.”
Jake Law, the Executive Area Director for the Red Shield Youth Centers, added that getting children active and outdoors is a primary goal of the partnership.
“I think ultimately exposing kids to just about anything is better than sitting them in front of a phone to play,” said Law. “That’s why we’re here, teaching them to get out of the house, get away from the phone, have fun.”
Bank of America hopes to reach 250,000 total sign-ups for the program nationwide.
Families with children ages 6 to 18 can take advantage of the free membership offer for a limited time.
Free enrollment for the program is open through June 15.
Parents and guardians can find more information and sign up at the Bank of America’s website here.