Golf Links: Opening Doors, Building Confidence & Changing Junior Golf

Walk into GOLF LINKS and you’ll see it instantly — kids laughing, parents cheering, coaches encouraging, and a community that feels both welcoming and full of possibility. It’s not just a place to swing a club. It’s a place where young players discover confidence, connection, and a sport that can shape their future.

GOLF LINKS isn’t simply a business. It’s a mission built on one powerful idea: Small, intentional actions can change a child’s life.

And that idea started with family.

A Spark That Started at Home

Founder Chris Word remembers the moment clearly — a parent making one simple, intentional choice to create opportunity. His mother didn’t need a grand plan or a perfect setup. She just decided to open a door for her children, giving them access to a sport that would shape their confidence, their character, and eventually, their future.

That door changed everything.

“Playing golf helped my personal development and career progression,” Chris shared. “That small, intentional action mattered. Now I’m trying to make intentional efforts to help the next generation.”

That’s the heartbeat of GOLF LINKS: Give kids a chance, and they’ll surprise you.

What Junior Golf Needs Most

Junior golf is growing, but growth needs support. Chris believes young players need two things more than anything else:

1. Real Access

Not just access to courses — but access to experiences. Places where kids can play, practice, explore, and have fun without pressure.

“Golf needs more sustainable ways for kids to interact with the game,” he explained. “Basketball has pickup games. Football has catch in the yard. Golf needs more opportunities like that.”

2. Modern Golf Heroes Kids Can See Themselves In

Golf has a long history of greats who inspired generations — Calvin Peete, Jim Thorpe, Nancy Lopez, and Tiger Woods, whose impact reshaped the sport for millions.

Kids need heroes like that today — players who make golf feel exciting, inclusive, and culturally relevant. GOLF LINKS is helping build the environment where those future heroes can emerge.

GOLF LINKS: The Perfect Next Step

Traditional golf can feel intimidating for families — the cost, the culture, the dress code, the expectations. Back in 2020, Chris started his journey as an entrepreneur in the golf industry with Greenwood Golf. The question Greenwood Golf was trying to answer was, “How can we fund our youth development causes?” The answer seemed simply to create a black-owned golf ball business with the purpose of supporting the initiatives of the community. He was trying to create an answer to the problems for minorities within the traditional green grass golf courses. He struggled.

Then he founded GOLF LINKS which flips that experience.

Kids can walk in wearing street clothes. They can hit balls for 30 minutes. Then play Angry Birds Golf for the next 30. They can learn, laugh, and explore without fear of “doing it wrong.”

“We have equipment, balls, and coaches ready,” Chris said. “It’s an easy introduction to the sport.”

And it’s working. Kids who never imagined themselves playing golf are discovering a new passion — and parents are discovering a new community.

Skills That Last a Lifetime

Yes, Golf Links teaches kids how to swing a club, learn what different clubs can do, and hit the ball with confidence. But the real lessons go far beyond the course.

Kids learn:

• Confidence
• Patience
• Sportsmanship
• How to handle expectations vs. reality

“These skills help them in school, socially, and in their careers,” Chris explained. “Golf is secondary. Life skills come first.”

Parents love that. Kids feel it. And the community benefits from it.

Moments That Prove the Mission Matters

One story stands out.

Chris started the annual Juneteenth GOLF Classic back in 2020. The mission was to bringing together those minority golf groups throughout Charlotte to raise money for the next generation of golfers.

For two years, Greenwood Golf’s Juneteenth Golf Classic raised funds for an underserved high school’s golf program. The students had passion but lacked resources.

For three years, Greenwood Golf’s Juneteenth Golf Classic raised funds Johnson C. Smith University Men’s Golf program.

The funds provided equipment, practice facilities, and transportation — giving those kids a chance to compete, grow, and believe in themselves.

Moments like that reaffirm the mission: Golf can change lives. Access can change futures. Community can change everything.

"Small, intentional actions can change a child’s life."

Technology Is Opening New Doors

Years ago, junior golfers had only one option: go to a course or a driving range. That required money, transportation, and time — barriers many families couldn’t overcome.

Now, technology is rewriting the rules.

“With GOLF LINKS and other simulator technology, kids can learn indoors without the financial commitment,” Chris said. “The learning curve is so much smaller than it used to be.”

Technology isn’t replacing traditional golf — it’s expanding it.

Creating a More Inclusive Golf Community

GOLF LINK’S mission is simple: Create opportunities for people to spend time together. No gatekeeping. No exclusivity. No “you don’t belong here.”

Just community.

Chris shared a moment that fueled this mission: calling a local country club to enter a team of local junior golfers into a summer league. The club ignored the request.

That moment became motivation.

“I would change the exclusivity of golf,” he said. “If players want to play, let them play.”

Simulator leagues. City‑wide leagues. Drive, Chip & Putt competitions. More doors. More chances. More kids playing.

That’s the future Greenwood Golf and GOLF LINKS is building.

Leadership, Legacy & Being the Change

When asked what values guide his work, Chris answered with a phrase that has become the foundation of Greenwood Golf:

“Be the change you want to see.”

He’s a husband, father, CPA, business owner, mentor, and community leader — and he’ll be the first to tell you there’s no perfect balance.

But there is responsibility.

“If I don’t start, I can’t complain about what the community doesn’t have.”

His long‑term vision is powerful: A generation of confident, thoughtful, patient leaders. A community model that can be replicated. A sustainable ecosystem for youth development.

Golf is the vehicle. Leadership is the destination.

A Future Built on Intention

GOLF LINKS isn’t just a place to play — it’s a place to grow, to belong, and to discover who you are and who you can become. One intentional act changed Chris Word’s life. Now he’s creating thousands more.

And junior golfers — in Charlotte and beyond — are better for it.