USGA Inks Chevron To Partnership...For The Children

Michael Buteau on the 3-year, $12 million deal.

The agreement will use marquee events to promote education by showcasing the science and technology principles behind the game, Glenn Weckerlin, Chevron’s director of marketing, said. There will be learning stations to teach about the science of golf -- such as aerodynamics, velocity and lift of golf balls, and measuring the slope and acceleration of putting greens.

“When you see the kids interact with these things, it just really comes to life for them,” Sarah Hirshland, the USGA’s director of business affairs, said in a telephone interview. “Our goal is for that to be an incentive for them to care about and better understand the game.”

Plus, it gets the kids up to speed on year-nine of the ball study!

San Ramon, California-based Chevron and the USGA, which governs the game of golf along with the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland, will create content aimed at advancing childhood science, technology, education and math programs -- known as STEM.

“We employ a number of engineers and scientists,” Hirshland said. “This is an inherent part of what we need in the future. The monetary component is not the driving force behind this.”

It's never about the money. Of course, then why have a monetary component at all?