Job Training

Golf Course Maintenance

The Ace Kids Golf Job Training Program is designed to prepare incarcerated youth for jobs in the golf industry, including opportunities in golf course maintenance, club repair, golf course management, head pro/golf shop management, food and beverage/management, tournament director, marketing, business and sales.

With support from the Lake Chabot Golf Course, Touchstone Golf and the Touchstone Golf Foundation, participants are engaged in an 8-week training curriculum that encompasses topics such as agronomy, course set-up, fertilization, drainage/irrigation and the proper use of equipment.

At the end of the program, each participant is gifted a $100 stipend for completion and given an opportunity to interview for jobs at the golf course or with the City of Oakland.

Students take owner of the golf course and feel a sense of pride when they complete projects.

Past projects included a golf course beautification project. During this project, students turned a boring area of dirt into a beautiful landscaped area. They added colorful native plants and shrubs and learned how to set up the irrigation so the new plants would flourish. This project took about 3 weeks to complete. They were also tasked with laying fresh mulch, weed eating around the practice areas and tree trimming.

Our current project requires participants maintain a brand new practice area which includes a putting green, chipping area and sand bunker. Their tasks include watering, fertilization, maintaining the bunkers and repairing any divots to the green or fringe daily.

Over the past few years we have hired 2 of the 15 participants. Other participants have pursued higher education or have gained employment elsewhere.  We are proud of these young men and are excited to be the catalyst to help change their lives for the better.