My name is Michael Chang, and I am the founder of this organization.

When I was first introduced to golf, it was just a hobby to me. However, as I played it more and more, I realized that I was also learning to be independent, to be patient in my improvement, and to maintain a positive attitude no matter how well or badly the round was going. I realized that golf was what I wanted to focus on because I learned so many skills that are applicable to life from simply playing a sport. I made the decision to fully dedicate my time on golf.

Learning golf was like exploring a dark cave with nothing but candlelight, your intuition, and directions given to you by others who have experience to guide you. I learned what it was like to struggle in golf, problem solve, and persevere through the hardships as I slowly made my way through the unfamiliar sport. Luckily I had many great coaches in my life who shared their golf experiences and helped me through the whole journey. With their help I began competing in national tournaments. However, after about three years of competitive golf, I injured my lower back and was forced to stop golf for an entire year to recover. Throughout this time, I went through a great deal of physical therapy. I learned ways to prevent injuries, from warming up properly to strengthening exercises, and I hope to share this knowledge with others. I want to educate young golfers on how they can keep themselves from injury in golf, which can be applied to all sports, and to learn from my experiences and setbacks.

Golf’s popularity has been declining because it is a time consuming and expensive sport. Due to this, I also hope to share to others that golf is extremely beneficial to everyone and increase the golfing community. Before I started golf, I was a soccer player. I played competitively for about six years and joined a team called FC Heat in Escondido, California. We even traveled overseas to compete against top soccer academies. Throughout these six years, we built a strong relationship, and I learned so much from the players and coaches on the team. I eventually switched to golf because although soccer taught me teamwork, I learned the importance of independence and patience in golf.

The majority of players on FC Heat were Hispanic and played mostly soccer. Golf was a sport they were not introduced to and therefore didn’t considered playing. By sharing the game of golf to these populations that don’t often play it, the golf industry could continue to grow and spread the important lessons we can learn from the sport.

Junior Golf for Fun was created because I hope to introduce this amazing sport to everyone, especially those who may not have the opportunity to play, or have simply never tried. I hope to give back to the community just like how my coaches helped me. I hope to share the benefits of the sport, and the setbacks I have come across so others can learn from them. I hope to spread happiness and fun back to the community. And finally, I hope to continue this amazing sport in anyway I can. Golf greatly benefited my life and I hope it will help you too. Thank you all for supporting Junior Golf for Fun, and I hope you have a fun, beneficial, and safe golf experience.