PGA REACH Nebraska & Jim Ager Highlighted by Sports Director Kevin Sjuts & 1011 NOW News

Lincoln, NE – Jim Ager Golf Course produced more than 26,000 rounds in 2022 and the facility projects to beat that number in 2023. Many of those rounds come from junior golfers learning to love the game of golf and growing the game is part of Jim Ager’s identity. Many of the youngsters that come through the facility don’t have clubs of their own and Jim Ager had a need for new equipment, and that’s where PGA REACH Nebraska came in to help.

Every year, PGA REACH Nebraska opens a grant process that allows organizations and individuals that share a similar mission & vision to the Foundation to apply for a grant to make a difference through the game of golf. Considerations for the grant funds include:

  • The degree of potential benefit to the golf community
  • Programs that target youth ages 18 and under, military personnel, people with disabilities, or minorities
  • The span of communities the project will reach
  • Whether the program targets the new golfer, lapse golfer, and core golfer

Jim Ager Golf Course applied for the 2023 PGA REACH Nebraska grant requesting for funding to purchase 25 new sets of U.S. Kids Junior Golf sets.

“The committee was proud to support Jim Ager’s request. The Professional staff at Jim Ager continues to introduce the game of golf to more kids every year. These clubs will allow them to introduce golf to kids who might not have the financial needs to purchase their own clubs,” said PGA REACH Nebraska’s Managing Director Seth Scollard, PGA.

On Thursday, June 1st, 2023, the PGA REACH Nebraska team completed the special delivery to Jim Ager in the morning before their summer junior golf camps got underway. On the first tee at the course, 25 new sets of golf clubs were lined up on the tee box as 24 junior golfers arrived at the course for their camp. The young scholar athletes and their parents were surprised to learn the new sets were available for use at no cost.

Zac Morley, PGA is a Teaching Professional for Lincoln City Golf and primarily works for Jim Ager and he had the pleasure of sharing the news with the juniors before their camp got underway.

“Having these new clubs at Jim Ager means a lot! It’s been great to see more and more juniors in our community hanging out here at Ager. Through this program, a lot of kids who may not have been able to golf before will now be able to golf and will hopefully continue to love and be involved in the game for years to come,” said Morley.

The 25 sets of clubs will be housed at Jim Ager and are available for use all year-long to any junior golfer that walks through their doors. Wade Foreman, PGA leads the Lincoln City Golf program and has played an instrumental role in the major increase of junior golf programming in Lincoln and he’s more excited than anyone to receive the new clubs.

“The donation of 25 new golf sets is a tremendous gift for the facility. It will allow the juniors to have access to quality clubs for use on the course learning to play the game or when they are involved in golf programs at the facility,” said Foreman.

There are many reasons Jim Ager is the perfect fit for growing the game to the youth of Lincoln and Foreman broke it down to us.

He went on to say, “Golf is a game of a lifetime, and it is a wonderful outdoor activity for youth at any age. The fit of Jim Ager Golf Course being a Par 3 course with shorter holes and less hazards makes it a perfect place to teach youth golfers the game.”

PGA REACH Nebraska continues to break down barriers that are keeping youth, Veterans, and diverse populations off the golf course. Whether it’s their Clubs FORE Youth program that is putting new clubs in High School Girls hands, PGA HOPE which brings Veterans into the game or individual grants like this with Jim Ager, PGA REACH Nebraska is making a real difference in communities across the Nebraska Section PGA.

About PGA REACH Nebraska

The PGA REACH Nebraska Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to positively impacting lives through the game of golf. The PGA REACH Nebraska Foundation was created for the purpose of administering charitable and philanthropic affairs on behalf of the golf professionals within the Nebraska Section PGA. These affairs include but are not limited to, the promotion and growth of junior golf, scholarship programs, programs for underprivileged youth, veterans, and contributions to allied charitable organizations.

About Jim Ager Golf Course

Built in the mid 1960’s, Jim Ager Memorial Golf Course. is one the finest short courses of its kind in the country. Winning Golf Digest’s award for the “Best Junior Golf Program” in the municipal category shows how much we value tomorrow’s future golfers and beginners of all ages.

Jim Ager Golf Course is a 9-hole, par 3 golf course in the heart of downtown Lincoln. Our course, which measures 1,228 yards, offers golfers of all ages and skill sets a fun place to play. Ager consists of 9 holes, ranging from 70 to 175 yards – the perfect place for a more advanced golfer to hone their iron skills, or for a beginning golfer to first learn the game. Everyone is welcome at Jim Ager Golf Course! The course has numerous golf learning programs for kids and adults, plus a variety of golf leagues.