The name Payne Stewart will forever be etched in minds and memories as a Major golf champion, fashion plate and true sportsman. Owner of the one of the best swings in history, Stewart died tragically at the age of 42 in a plane accident.

A key aspect of Stewart’s legacy, as directed by his wife Tracey, is to help lower-income and inner-city kids across the country learn the game of golf. To achieve that goal, the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation has been created to design groundbreaking youth programs that they hope will have broader reach than conventional programs.

The resulting Payne Stewart Golf Experience (Camps & Clinics) is an introductory golf program designed to compete with little kickers soccer, t-ball and other youth sport development programs. Targeting kids ages 4-9, the games-based play programming, and the use of modified golf learning equipment, will make it easier for children to hit the ball and experience early success at the camps and clinics.

By using existing spaces such as gymnasiums, parking lots, and athletic fields, the Payne Stewart Golf Experience (Camps & Clinics) hope to advance Stewart’s vision by creating new golf spaces that give more children access and opportunity to learn, particularly those in need.

The Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation supports the expansion of these golf learning experiences for children in lower-income and inner-city locations.

“Our goal with the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation is to support this introductory golf program by raising funds to help expand the number of camp locations, provide adequate equipment, give families in need an opportunity to participate, and assist with other donation opportunities,” said Dan Anderson, chief operating officer and co-developer of the Foundation.

“We have flipped the traditional golf paradigm on its head by helping bring golf to kids away from the golf course. We partner with churches, YMCA’s and other aligned organizations to create unique spaces to play and learn golf closer to home.”

The overriding mission of the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation, Anderson said, is to develop healthy kids for life, through the enjoyment of golf. The faith-based life skills curriculum, coupled with the game-based golf skill development program, will give children a fun introductory experience that they hope helps them become well-rounded citizens, in sport and life.

The Foundation’s plan for 2021 is to have more than 50 Payne Stewart Golf Camps & Clinics running in the U.S.

“Our hope is that more kids from all backgrounds will have the opportunity to enter into the next phase of traditional youth golf programs, including PGA Junior Golf Camps,” Anderson said.

“Payne would be so proud to know that his name lives on by helping young golfers learn the game he so loved,” said Tracey Stewart.

“The Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation and the fun golf experiences at camps and clinics will bring the game of golf to kids of every background and socio-economic class with the core fundamentals of Faith, Family and Fun.”

For more information about the Payne Stewart Kids Golf Foundation visit PayneStewart.org.