More than 50,000 young golfers across the country — including 1,500 right in the DMV — are now hitting the links for just $5, thanks to the new Golf With Us initiative launched by Bank of America and Youth on Course. The program aims to reach 75,000 participants by the end of the year.
Launched last month as part of Bank of America’s championship sponsorship of the Masters Tournament, the initiative is designed to break down financial barriers that often keep young people from exploring golf.
Those barriers can be steep: The National Golf Foundation estimates the average annual cost for a junior golfer — including equipment, lessons, and course fees — can exceed $500, with private lessons alone running up to $150 an hour. Access to tournaments often requires costly memberships at private courses, adding to the challenge for many families.
Specifically, in the DMV region, the initiative will provide access to kids aged 6-18 the ability to play golf at 15 local courses, stretching from Front Royal, Virginia, to Bowie, Maryland.
“This is a terrific program,” said Lawrence Di Rita, president of Bank of America Washington in an interview with reporter and host Kelsey Nicole Nelson. “We’ve got about 15 courses here in the DMV. It lets kids sign up through the program, and they can get a green fee for five bucks. It’s a great way to get access.”
Di Rita, who grew up in Detroit, said golf wasn’t something he could easily participate in as a kid.
“It was always a sport that was a little bit out of reach for me,” Di Rita said. “The kids on the upper end of the scale were caddying or their dads were members of the club. That wasn’t my experience. I always wished I had picked up golf at a younger age because it’s a complex sport — and now, kids in our area have that chance.”
Golf With Us also offers youth a free one-year membership to Youth on Course, which includes access to discounted rounds at over 2,200 courses nationwide, as well as a USGA handicap through the Golf Handicap Information Network (GHIN).
In addition to the affordable play, the program is bringing free golf clinics led by professional golfers and celebrities to select communities, offering kids not only the chance to sharpen their skills but also to build leadership, teamwork, and confidence.
“The DMV is such a diverse area,” Di Rita said. “We’ve got a little bit of everything, and we’ve got so many great sports right here in the region, with champions across the board. As golf becomes more popular and more courses make programs like this available, we just think it’s a natural fit. There’s so much going on here, and parents are always looking for ways to have kids out there doing something every day. The ingredients are all there.”
Bank of America’s approach to Golf With Us was inspired by its long-running Museums on Us program, which provides free museum access for cardholders on the first weekend of every month, including at the Phillips Collection, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the Rubell Museum.
“We modeled this program after one we have that’s not even in sports — Museums on Us,” Di Rita said. “On the first weekend of every month, if you visit a participating museum and show your Bank of America card, you get in free. It’s about democratizing access to the arts, and we wanted to do the same for golf with this program.”
Beyond the green, Bank of America plans to integrate volunteer efforts from its more than 2,500 teammates in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area, including potential partnerships with local sports teams and nonprofits.
With the next 25,000 program spots now open, Bank of America is encouraging more families to enroll before the May 24 deadline.
“It’ll be a great opportunity for the community, for the kids living here, for their parents, and for our own teammates,” Di Rita said.
Families can enroll in the Golf With Us program through May 24 at BofA.com/GolfWithUs.
