Junior golf in the Eastern Iowa area is a sport that is not widely participated in and access to the game can be challenging for some families. Other sports such as baseball, basketball, softball, volleyball and football among others all have tremendous support and access for most kids to play and learn. This is because many of the facilities used for practice or games are owned and operated by municipalities or schools which help with access for everyone. Many of the other sports are also offered through schools which offer lower cost options for all families to have their kids participate, learn and grow through these sports especially in the younger ages of elementary through junior high.

Golf however is not a sport that is offered through schools until high school and many of the golf facilities are privately owned. This means that access to golf is determined by the owner of these facilities willingness to give back to the game. Even for high school golf these teams and programs depend on the generosity of an outside business. Most facilities do a good job of supporting high school golf but not all.

For kids to join or participate in youth golf before high school it is more challenging as there is practice and playing fees, equipment costs, tournament expense, coaching fees among others. This quickly eliminates many families from having their kids experience golf and learn from its many wonderful life lessons.

Our mission is to help increase access for all kids to have a chance at experiencing the game at an early age so they to may hopefully enjoy and learn this life long sport that teaches us so many amazing values and lessons. We also support those junior golfers who have shown tremendous dedication in improving their games by offering scholarships to help offset the cost of higher education.

With this mission we hosted our 1st Annual Junior Golf Fundraiser (now named Swings For Kids Fundraiser presented by Cedar River Insurance) in 2021. From the succuss of this event and the following years event we were able to form the Eastern Iowa Junior Golf Association in 2022 as a formal non-profit 501(c)3.

Today we host several fundraising opportunities each year that help benefit local junior golf by offering helping families afford junior golf fees, provide scholarship opportunities for high school golfers and support local youth golf programs and organizations with funding and supplies.