Our Story
The CDGA Foundation utilizes the game of golf to enhance the lives of individuals with special needs, veterans and youth. Our Sunshine Through Golf Camp Program brings the values and benefits of the game to more than 1,000 individuals with special needs in the Chicago District golfing community. A cornerstone of the Foundation since 1944, our work with veterans employs the therapeutic benefits of golf as part of a structured rehabilitation program for wounded veterans, while also bringing opportunities to active duty military and their families. The Youth on Course program provides affordable access to youth golfers in an effort to grow the game.
Our Work

Special Needs
Initiated 1999, the Sunshine Through Golf Camp Program services more than 1,200 individuals with special needs through nearly 100 clinics. The camps are a collaboration between the Foundation, Special Recreation Associations (SRAs), golf courses and golf professionals.

Veterans
The Foundation was founded in 1944 to offer assistance for returning World War II veterans. These services are still offered today in conjunction with Chicagoland VA hospitals, the Great Lakes Naval Base and RevelationGolf.

Youth
Youth on Course, brought to the area by the CDGA Foundation, allows individuals age 6-18 the opportunity to play rounds of golf for $5 or less at participating local courses. In 2022, the program's sixth season in Illinois, 4,500 local Youth on Course members played 11,000 rounds of golf.