Cape Arundel Golf Club has named its new Range House as “43 House” in honor of George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States and Cape Arundel member. The 43 House sign was unveiled to President Bush, Mrs. Laura Bush, President George H.W. Bush, Mrs. Barbara Bush, other Bush family members, and the Club’s Membership in August at the Club’s Annual Party.
43 House was completed this year at the club’s expanded Practice & Teaching Facility, which is said to be one of the best in the northeast. It now anchors the facility that is situated on 19 acres along the banks of the Kennebunk River.
In making the announcement, Club President J. Pierce O’Neil said, “From today forward, our new range house, the central feature of our expanded Practice and Teaching Facility, will be known as 43 House in honor of our great friend and fellow member President George W. Bush.”
“Cape Arundel Golf Club has meant a lot to my family and me,” said President Bush. “It has brought a lot of joy – and some heartbreak on the golf course. I cannot thank you all enough for honoring me with the ‘43 House.’ This is a spectacular place, and I’m proud to be a member.”
As schools across the country welcome the return of students, TGA Premier Golf has 55,000 youngsters (ages 5-12) registering this fall for its school based golf enrichment programs. Among those registering, 65-70 percent of them and their millennial parents have never played the game before.
“TGA (Teach Grow Achieve) Premier Golf fills a void in the industry by delivering introductory programs and bringing the sport directly onto school campuses while solving junior golf’s primary barriers to entry: accessibility, cost, time, transportation and fun,” CEO Joshua Jacobs said. “When we started TGA in 2003, our model was contrary to the industry beliefs of how to grow the sport. The industry relied on philanthropic, volunteer, or charitable endeavors where the norm was to provide free golf programs for primarily lower socio-economic demographics,” Jacob said.
Meanwhile core sports like soccer, lacrosse and others, which charged participation fees for their introductory programs, flourished and grew fast. TGA recognized, especially in individualistic sports such as golf and tennis, that retention was often tied to how much time and money a family invests in that sport. “By making golf available and bringing introductory programs to the masses in a cost-competitive way, it gives TGA a higher probability of bridging the gap from school programs to professional instruction and recreational programs at golf courses and driving ranges as well as retaining them for the long term.”
