Kamaiu Johnson, a member of the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour, is teeing it up on the PGA TOUR this week at the Farmers Insurance Open. The native of Tallahassee, Fl., is set to compete in his fourth PGA TOUR event, and he is using his platform to spotlight efforts to enhance access to golf for Black and minority players.
Johnson is the ambassador of the ClubCorp Gateway Program, which was launched by the company last year to remove institutional barriers in the golf world and increase access to high-quality golf courses, training facilities and mentorship opportunities to a more diverse population. The program partners with The First Tee to offer complimentary memberships to ClubCorp properties in participating markets for select youth golfers. To date, the program represents a multimillion-dollar investment by ClubCorp to address this disparity in access through memberships for young Black and minority golfers with programs in Atlanta, Dallas and Houston.
“Golf needs to be a better representation of America. The ClubCorp Gateway program can play a huge role in making that happen. The Gateway Program will not only help these young players on the course by providing access to better courses, better facilities and mentors, but it will also bring diversity of thought and backgrounds to the ClubCorp membership and the industry as a whole,” said Johnson. “This is exactly the type of program that I would have loved to have had growing up, knowing it would have tremendously helped me both on and off the golf course.”
Johnson will be featured on CBS This Morning on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022, between 7 to 9 am ET sharing his journey in golf and discussing the success of the program.
