On November 14th, the young men, staff and families of the The Bridge Golf Foundation’s After School Program took a field trip to the USGA headquarters in Far Hills, New Jersey.
Carter Rich, the director of Equipment Rules and Conformance, and John Spitzer, Managing Director, Equipment Standards, led the group in a fun, informative and engaging tour of the USGA Research and Test Center, where the students tested the knowledge they have acquired in the foundation’s golf-focused STEM lab.
The boys were shown how the USGA, which shares oversight of the Rules of Golf with the R&A, tests golf equipment for conformance to the rules.
One of the highlights of the test center tour was a demonstration of the Iron Byron, a robot named after 52-time PGA Tour winner Byron Nelson. The robot, which repeats the same swing, is used to test balls and clubs for conformance.
Susan Wasser, Assistant Director of the USGA Museum, led the young men on exhibits that included the Clearview Golf Club, the first African-American designed and owned golf course, established in 1946 by William J. Powell in East Canton, Ohio.
Using replicas of antique putters, the young men also participated in putting competitions on the the USGA’s 16,000 square-foot Pynes Putting Course.