The Gauntlet Golf Club, located in Stafford County, has received $8,800 from the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Sports Marketing Incentive Program. These funds are to support The Gauntlet Golf Club as they host the upcoming American Junior Golf Association Tour Stafford Junior All-Star Tournament.
The AJGA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. Many leaders in the golf industry consider the group to be the premier junior golf association of the world. AJGA Alumni on the PGA Tour include Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and many more Tour Professionals.
In total, VTC awarded $1.45 million for 83 local and regional event incentives specifically targeted at attracting new meetings and competitive sporting events to spur economic activity and travel across the Commonwealth. These funds are part of the $50 million ARPA appropriation recommended during the August 2021 Special General Assembly Session to assist in the revitalization of Virginia’s tourism industry to overcome the negative impact of COVID-19.
“Sports events and meetings are vital to the tourism industry,” said Rita McClenny, President and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation. “This appropriation is an opportunity to assist these organizations with their continued recovery efforts and help drive increased visitation and revenue generation.”
Stafford County Tourism attracted the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) event to play at the Gauntlet, a P.B. Dye-designed 18-hole, par 72 championship golf course. The tournament week begins with the Stafford Junior-Am Fundraising Tournament on Sunday, August 14, 2022, sponsored by the Stafford County Economic Development Authority (EDA).
The Junior-Am fundraising efforts will benefit the Stafford Education Foundation, Stafford Junction, and the AJGA’s Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Stafford County Economic Development and Tourism and the Stafford EDA to bring the most prestigious junior tour in the country to our course with the Tour Stafford Junior All-Star Tournament. The awarded grant will be used to elevate the event with a giant LED screen used to showcase player stats, leaderboards, local business sponsors and more. This is one of many events hosted by New Direction Golf Management facilities this year to raise funds for local organizations and to grow the game of golf in our area. We hope to continue our partnership with AJGA and Stafford County for years to come, bringing in more tourism revenue and growing the game for future generations,” said Gauntlet Golf Club Director of Membership Services Karmen Miller.
