The USGA program that’s SIX years ahead of schedule

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Wednesday, Oct 14, 2026

I sat down in August with Heather Daly-Donofrio, the managing director of the U.S. National Development Program, for a story I was writing on about an exciting spinoff of the USNDP—the state junior team initiative. The initiative aims to identify the top junior golfers within a state and bring them together to expose them to creative training techniques from around the country while forming future friendships. Add some competition, and even a little bit of swag, and you’ve created something for up-and-coming boys and girls ages 13 to 18 for which to aspire.

When Daly-Donofrio and I spoke, 30 states were committed to having rosters participating by early 2027, an impressive number given the program only launched in January 2024. The goal originally was to have teams in all 50 states by 2033, but Daly-Donofrio now was saying she was fairly confident in getting there by the end of 2029, four years ahead of schedule.

It turns out, though, Daly-Donofrio was "off" with her projection. On Tuesday, the USGA, which oversees the USNDP, announced that the timeline for every state in the country to have a team was now the end of 2027. As in six years ahead of schedule.

So what happened? How did things get moving so quickly?

“It’s a program that makes too much sense not to succeed,” said Scott Nye, the longtime professional and current director of championships at historic Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., who was tapped as the captain of Team Pennsylvania when it launched earlier this year.

My original article explains more about the program and how a $1.5 million grant from Augusta National helped speed things along. It also explores the access that more than 800 teens now will have each year to invaluable resources to develop their games. That last part is what makes this whole thing so relevant: While the USNDP is picking out the best and brightest young players to help on their journey to success as pro golfers, the state junior team initiative is likely to impact many, many more.

The USGA development program that’s way ahead of schedule

The U.S. State Team Junior Program is catching on quickly around the country, giving hundreds of kids early access to innovative golf training.

By Ryan Herrington

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