GILBERT, AZ: Mark Lowry, Founder and President, located in Gilbert, AZ has announced the
formation of a partnership between the National Golf Player Development Foundation, (“NGPDF”)
and GOLFTEC, Englewood, CO to provide player development services to members of the NGPDF
that are pursuing the development of competitive golf-playing skills.
Mr. Lowry, noted, “The collaboration between the NGPDF and GOLFTEC will allow NGPDF members
to access facilities and instruction through local GOLFTEC stores nationally. The relationship will
provide for access to GOLFTEC’s Game Plans that provide instruction and use of store simulators.
This will help NGPDF members improve their skills training and provide analytics to improve playing,
mental and physical development.
He also noted that “The joint collaboration creates opportunities for:”
- Building an informed support team (Player, Parent, and Instructor) to assist the development of
the competitive player - Provide the opportunity for members to have access in local stores
- Access to professional services (golf instruction, equipment fitting, etc.) offered by GOLFTEC
John A. Williams, SVP of Human Resources for GOLFTEC said, “We are thrilled to embark on this exciting
partnership with The National Golf Player Development Foundation. Through this collaboration, we aim
to empower NGPDF members with access to our state-of-the-art facilities and expert Coaches, helping
them refine their skills and elevate their competitive golf playing abilities.”
Lowry noted “The relationship with GOLFTEC supports our mission to provide resources and services to
increase opportunities to develop competitive players from underserved communities. We are
appreciative of the commitment from GOLFTEC to support our young NGPDF members.”
Mark Lowry’s work and success with instituting a player development system was well documented in the mid-90s when, in 1995, he was selected to create and launch the Chicago Public School’s Elementary school golf training program to feed a struggling High School team program.
By 1998, the program began to receive national acclaim as over forty elementary schools were offering after-school golf instruction while simultaneously, Mark expanded the high school golf program with growth from nine of the CPS system’s seventy-three high schools to over thirty who competed and advanced from city competition to producing qualifiers at the regional and state level. In 1998, Lowry joined the new industry initiative, The First Tee, where for 20 years he held positions in senior leadership.
Lowry played a key role in developing the strategies that would guide the development and operations of the organization from a concept to a nationally recognized youth golf development organization. As Vice President of Network Management, Mark oversaw the development and support of the organization’s eight national regions and over 150 network chapters.
These experiences gave rise to the National Golf Player Development Foundation (NGPDF). Lowry says, “The time has come to support the efforts of the players, parents, organizations and institutions that are working to deepen the competitive player pool of players of color. The NGPDF, through its efforts to secure individual, corporate and industry funding resources and developmental partnerships, will identify deserving young players of color and provide support to individuals, programs and institutions that equally share the goal to increase the competitive player pool representing minority communities.”
For more information on NGPDF please contact:
National Golf Player Development Foundation
www.ngpdf.org
(480) 294-3532
mnl@ngpdf.com
NATIONAL GOLF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION is a Not For Profit 501c3 established to create
funding sources to create additional funding sources to: 1)Support the development of skilled,
competitive male and female golfers of color; 2) Connect aspiring golfers of color with instructors and
development programs in their local community; 3) Assist in connecting competitive golfers of color with
programs and tournaments that will advance their developmental skills at strategic competitive levels
that include junior golf, high school, collegiate and professional and assist with support resources to
educate parents, coaches and instructors involved with the development of competitive golfers of color.
The NGPDF has established both a governance and advisory board.
The mission of the National Golf Player Development Foundation, is, “To provide unprecedented
funding opportunities to programs that provide skill development and playing opportunities to young
people of color and connect them to premier experiences in competitive golf.”
About GOLFTEC
With a global presence of 250+ locations and over two million lessons given every year, GOLFTEC stands
tall as the undisputed leader in golf improvement. For more than 25 years, GOLFTEC’s commitment has
been to help people play better golf. By connecting golfers with expert Coaches and harnessing cutting-edge technology, GOLFTEC crafts personalized improvement plans that provide data-driven feedback
and deliver measurable results for golfers of any skill level.
