Golf has the power to change lives. For many young people, access to the game is the first step toward building discipline, confidence, and a path to higher education. At Marion County Junior Golf, we believe that every child deserves the chance to experience what this sport can offer — regardless of their family’s financial situation. Our scholarship program is designed to remove barriers and open doors, just as programs across the country have done for some of golf’s greatest champions.
Calvin Peete grew up as the youngest of nine children in Detroit. When his family split up, he moved to Missouri to live with his grandmother, and later to Florida. At age 12, he fell from a tree and badly broke his left arm — it never healed properly and he could never fully straighten it again.
To make a living, young Calvin got a peddler’s license and drove a station wagon up and down the East Coast, selling clothes and goods to migrant farmworkers. He didn’t pick up a golf club until he was 23 years old — when friends brought him to a course instead of the fish fry he was expecting.
With no formal training, Peete taught himself the game from Ben Hogan’s instruction book, practicing until his hands bled. He made the PGA Tour on his third try, and went on to win 12 tournaments — including the 1985 Players Championship. He led the Tour in driving accuracy for an astonishing 10 consecutive years.
Calvin Peete’s story proves that it’s never too late, and no barrier is too great, when someone is given a chance to discover the game of golf.
Austin Smotherman joined First Tee in Sacramento, California at just seven years old. Over the next eleven years, the program didn’t just teach him how to swing a club — it shaped his character, his discipline, and his love for the game. As he grew, Austin transitioned from participant to junior coach, mentoring the younger kids coming up behind him.
By high school, Smotherman had become one of Northern California’s top junior golfers. He earned a Morton Golf Foundation college scholarship to Southern Methodist University, where he played alongside future PGA Tour star Bryson DeChambeau. After graduating in 2016, he worked his way through PGA Tour Latinoamérica and the Korn Ferry Tour before earning his PGA Tour card.
Today, Austin is an official First Tee Ambassador and one of only three First Tee alumni to reach the PGA Tour — living proof that youth golf programs and scholarships create real pathways to professional success.
Austin’s journey from a seven-year-old First Tee participant to PGA Tour professional is the exact story Marion County Junior Golf wants to help write for the next generation.
Asterisk Talley’s father discovered Youth on Course — a nonprofit that provides young people affordable access to golf — while searching for junior events his daughter could play. That single moment changed everything.
Growing up in an area with few young golfers nearby, the program gave Asterisk access to courses and competition she couldn’t have reached otherwise. Youth on Course allowed her to play rounds for $5 or less, opening doors to tournaments and practice time that developed her into a fierce competitor.
Today, Asterisk Talley is the #1 ranked junior girls golfer in the world, a TaylorMade signee, Stanford commit, and a competitor at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur — where nearly 30% of the field are Youth on Course members and alumni.
Asterisk’s story is happening right now — and it started with a program that made golf affordable and accessible. That’s exactly what we aim to do here in Marion County.
If your family could benefit from scholarship assistance for junior golf lessons, equipment, or tournament entry fees, we want to hear from you. Marion County Junior Golf is committed to making sure every young golfer in our community has the opportunity to learn, grow, and compete — regardless of financial circumstances.
From Calvin Peete to Austin Smotherman to Asterisk Talley, the stories above share one thing in common: someone believed in a young person and invested in their future. You can be that person for a junior golfer right here in Marion County.
Marion County Junior Golf is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Your contributions directly fund lesson scholarships, equipment assistance, and tournament entry fees for young golfers who need support.
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