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April 06, 2011

The Memorial's Clubhouse Kids leaves lasting impression

Dublin, Ohio – April 6, 2011 – Entering its eighth year, the Memorial Tournament’s Clubhouse Kids Golf Tour continues to grow its outreach to elementary youth - exposing them to golf and educating not only about the sport but also about its many innate values. The Golf Tour is part of an umbrella program created by the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance to invite youth to participate in three interactive golf programs: The Memorial’s Clubhouse Kids Golf Tour; Junior Golf Day (including Elementary Day and Junior Golf Clinic); and Clubhouse Kids Membership and Website www.memorialclubhousekids.com.

The Memorial’s Clubhouse Kids Golf Tour is a program designed to enable educators to permanently teach the fundamentals and etiquette of golf in the physical education classroom with supplemental special visits from Muirfield Village Golf Club golf professionals at select schools. The Golf Tour has increased its outreach to students since 2005, and with the completion of the 2011 Tour, which officially begins this Friday, April 8th (see schedule below), will have reached a total number of students exceeding 25,000. Teachers from each of the schools visited in 2011 will be provided with training and a “Life Skills” curriculum developed by The First Tee National School Program.

In addition, S.N.A.G. golf equipment (Starting New At Golf soft material equipment) will be donated on behalf of the Memorial Tournament to participating schools. Physical education teachers will then be prepared to incorporate golf into their curriculums on a permanent basis.

The remaining two pieces of The Memorial’s Clubhouse Kids three-tier golf program are Junior Golf Day (including Elementary Day and Junior Golf Clinic) and the Clubhouse Kids website.

On Junior Golf Day, Wednesday, June 1, all kids 18 and younger are admitted free. Elementary Day utilizes the Memorial Tournament and Muirfield Village Golf Club as a classroom setting for schools to bring students to the course and teach lesson plans that relate to golf. For example, the Tournament provides a packet of information about the Memorial and Muirfield Village Golf Club, as well as a core subject lesson plan (math, science, English, etc.) based on golf, which classes review at school ahead of time or while eating lunch in the corporate hospitality village, the location of their onsite classrooms at the Memorial.x

The Junior Golf Clinic is also held on Junior Golf Day with participants learning tips from a PGA TOUR Professional and witnessing the infamous Dennis Walters Golf Show, featuring Walters and his dog, Benji Hogan, executing some very unusual shot making. This year’s Junior Golf Clinic is scheduled for Wednesday, June 1 at 5:30 p.m. at Safari Golf Club across from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on Powell Road. The Junior Clinic is open to the public. Parking and admission are FREE!

The Memorial’s Clubhouse Kids Membership and Website (www.memorialclubhousekids.com) is designed to keep kids engaged in golf beyond the Memorial Tournament “season”. The website is fun and educational, containing interactive pages and links including: facts about the current Memorial Tournament winner; printable coloring pages and games; and a members only Locker Room full of interactive games, e-cards, golf tips, etiquette, and more. Children that become a Clubhouse Kids member receive a lanyard, backpack, autograph marker, golf ball with the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance logo, flying disc, an invitation to the Junior Golf Clinic, a user name and password for the Locker Room, and an annual birthday card. Membership comes with a onetime $5 shipping and handling charge and automatic annual membership renewals until age 16.