Eleven-year-old Ethan Carnahan helps to fund his rounds at Aspen Lakes Golf Course in Sisters by collecting, cleaning and selling golf balls he finds near his family’s home along the eighth fairway. Ethan discovered golf through his grandfather and took his first lesson from Aspen Lakes head pro, Nicholas Krohn, when he was 6 years old.
“I came up with the idea to sell golf balls after my sister got a job,” he said. “I couldn’t have a lemonade stand where I live, but I could find and clean golf balls and make a golf ball stand to sell them on the honor system.”
In Central Oregon, considered one of the Pacific Northwest’s top golf destinations with about 30 courses within 30 miles of Bend, Ethan’s “two balls for a dollar” enterprise challenges one of golf’s oldest perceptions—that the game is reserved for those with deep pockets. Across Central Oregon, efforts to lower financial and physical barriers are reshaping who gets to play. Aspen Lakes participates in Youth on Course (YOC), a program established in 2006 to expand diversity in golf and remove financial barriers.
How Youth on Course Makes Golf More Affordable
Four courses in the greater Bend area support Youth on Course. To participate, youth register for an Oregon Golf Association Junior Membership and pay a $40 annual fee. Green fees are as low as $5 per round, along with other member benefits such as driving range access and instruction. In addition to Aspen Lakes, Juniper Golf Course, Crooked River Ranch Golf Course and Meadow Lakes Golf Course in Prineville offer tee times for YOC members and reduced green fees for their adult companions.
“Two of the major barriers in golf are access to facilities and cost of green fees,” said Notah Begay III, one of the few Native American golfers to have played on the PGA Tour. “Youth on Course helps eliminate those barriers.” Begay didn’t have the benefit of YOC in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the 1980s, when he became passionate about golf after tagging along with his father.
“I would recycle cans and collect spare change to pay for range balls,” recalled Begay. “When my desire to practice outmatched my funding, I worked at the range in exchange for practice time.”
His efforts paid off. Begay became the #1 Junior Golfer in America at 17 and was a three-time All-American at Stanford. In 2005, he created the NB3 Foundation to support Native American youth golfers and teach them the sport’s values of “discipline, goal setting, etiquette, pride and health.”
Making Golf Easier for Young Players to Learn
Krohn says Aspen Lakes hosts about 50 YOC rounds per month, of which as many as 30% are visitors to Central Oregon. He makes a point of greeting every YOC player personally before they tee off.
“Golf can be a very intimidating process for a new player,” he said. “My goal is to make every youth guest comfortable when they visit Aspen Lakes.”
Aspen Lakes also supports the Operation 36 program, which allows a new player to tee off 25 yards from the hole. Once they shoot 36 over nine holes from this distance, they move back to 50 yards, 100 yards, etc., until they reach the appropriate tee box. Krohn also places green junior tees in the fairway to establish the appropriate tee-to-green yardage. Several other courses in Central Oregon feature junior tees.
Juniper Golf Course general manager Pat Cashman grew up playing junior golf in Bend, where he took advantage of a policy that let kids play for free after 5 p.m. Today at Juniper, YOC members can play a round for $5, depending on day-of availability. YOC players completed 122 rounds this past June alone. “It’s important as a city-owned facility that we offer a cost-effective entry point into golf,” said Cashman.
As Begay did in Albuquerque, high schooler Stephen Chapman took a job at Juniper, his home course, to improve his game. “I play two to three times a week,” said the rising senior, who recently shot 70 in a high school tournament. “I appreciate the challenge and self-reliance of golf, which I hope to play in college.”
The U.S. Adaptive Open Is Coming to Sunriver
Self-reliance is on full display in another growing faction of players with an important Central Oregon connection: adaptive golf. In 2027 and 2028, Sunriver will host the U.S. Adaptive Open, an event that brings together the world’s best golfers with recognized physical, sensory or intellectual impairments to compete for a national championship.
The U.S. Adaptive Golf Alliance (USAGA) has developed equipment and protocols that enable individuals with a variety of disabilities to excel in golf. Players may use adaptable gloves with more Velcro and larger surface areas for gripping, solo golf carts designed for play from the cart itself or as an elevation aid, and customized clubs. “When we were selected by the USAGA for their championship, we set about learning everything we could about adaptive golf from a playing and instruction perspective,” said Joshua Willis, Sunriver Resort’s vice president of operations.
Sunriver has hosted other United States Golf Association events and several adaptive golf clinics. Increased adaptive golf training among its seasoned staff includes procuring tools such as driving-range seats and ball-teeing aids tailored to individual golfers. “Our responsibility is to continue to learn and create more understanding about adaptive golf and adaptive sports, in general,” Willis said. “I encourage anyone to watch because the quality of golf is unbelievable.” Last year, two adaptive golfers qualified for the U.S. Open, overcoming odds that their PGA Tour peers have never faced.
Where to Try Adaptive Golf in Central Oregon
Oregon Adaptive Sports (OAS) offers community adaptive golf clinics at Awbrey Glen Golf Club from June through September. Awbrey Glen is home to a SoloRider adaptive golf cart, making the game more accessible to players with mobility challenges. Adaptive golfers of all abilities, ages 8 and older, are invited to practice the
fundamentals of golf in a welcoming, supportive environment.
From the world’s best adaptive players preparing for Sunriver to high schooler Chapman’s dreams of playing in college, golf in Central Oregon is becoming less about who traditionally belonged and more about welcoming new players in. Ethan, who tries to play golf four times a week, says hitting the ball far and the continuous challenge of making each shot are what he likes most about the sport. “I think the more practice you get, the better you become,” he said.
Frequently Asked Questions About Affordable and Adaptive Golf in Central Oregon
How can kids play golf for less in Central Oregon?
Youth on Course helps make golf more affordable for young players at participating Central Oregon courses. Youth can register for an Oregon Golf Association Junior Membership for $40 annually and access green fees as low as $5 per round, along with benefits including driving range access and instruction.
Which Central Oregon golf courses participate in Youth on Course?
Four courses in the greater Bend area participate in Youth on Course: Aspen Lakes Golf Course in Sisters, Juniper Golf Course, Crooked River Ranch Golf Course and Meadow Lakes Golf Course in Prineville. Participating courses offer Youth on Course tee times, with availability and rates varying by course.
What is adaptive golf?
Adaptive golf uses equipment, instruction and playing modifications to make golf accessible to people with physical, sensory or intellectual impairments. Equipment can include adaptable gloves, specialized golf carts, customized clubs, driving-range seats and ball-teeing aids.
Where can people try adaptive golf in Central Oregon?
Oregon Adaptive Sports offers community adaptive golf clinics at Awbrey Glen Golf Club from June through September for golfers of all abilities ages 8 and older. Awbrey Glen also has a SoloRider adaptive golf cart for players with mobility challenges.
When is the U.S. Adaptive Open coming to Sunriver?
Sunriver will host the U.S. Adaptive Open in 2027 and 2028. The national championship brings together leading golfers with recognized physical, sensory or intellectual impairments.
