Youth Rewards

What is Youth Rewards?

Youth Rewards is a golf format built for rounds where kids and adults play together. The core idea is simple: kids earn money from a parent-funded reward bank every time they make a good score. Parents set the reward amounts before the round — say, $1 per par, $3 per birdie, $5 per eagle — and the kids play to earn.

Kids never pay anything out. There's no risk, no losing — only upside. This removes the intimidation factor that can make young golfers check out and keeps them genuinely invested in every hole they play.

Meanwhile, the adults run their own betting game in parallel — any format works alongside Youth Rewards. Everyone in the group has something at stake on every hole, whether it's earning rewards or competing against each other.

How Scoring Works

1. 1

   Before the round, set the reward amounts for each achievement: par, birdie, and eagle. You can set different amounts for different kids to account for age or skill level.

2. 2

   Parents or adults fund the reward bank. This is the total pool from which kids' earnings are paid. Estimate based on how many kids are playing and how many holes — you won't use all of it if the kids are still developing.

3. 3

   Play the round normally. Every time a kid makes a par, birdie, or eagle, they earn the preset reward for that achievement. Bogeys and doubles earn nothing — but cost nothing either.

4. 4

   The Strokes & Stakes app tracks each kid's earnings in real time as scores are entered. Kids can check their running total after every hole — which is part of what makes it motivating.

5. 5

   At the end of the round, pay out each kid's total from the reward bank. Adults settle their own separate game at the same time.

Setting Up the Rewards

The key is calibrating rewards to the kid's skill level. For a beginner who's still working on consistency, even a $1 par reward can be motivating — pars might come rarely. For a junior who shoots in the 80s, the birdie and eagle rewards matter more.

A good starting framework for casual rounds:

Adults can play any format alongside — stroke play, skins, wolf, or anything else. The youth rewards system runs independently and doesn't interfere with the adult game. Everyone's results are tracked separately and settled at the same time at the end of the round.

Pro Tips

• Let the kid check their running total on the app during the round. Watching earnings grow in real time is a big part of the motivation — it keeps them engaged between holes.
• Adjust reward amounts based on the course. A tough course with tight fairways and fast greens warrants higher par rewards for a developing player. A shorter, forgiving layout can use lower rates.
• If a kid is struggling with their swing on a given day, that's normal. The format still rewards every par or better they make, so even a rough round has moments of success.
• Consider adding a small bonus for a personal best score — it gives the kid a second thing to chase beyond individual hole rewards.
• Youth Rewards is a great gateway format for kids who aren't interested in betting concepts yet. The simple "good shot = earn money" mechanic is easy to understand and immediately rewarding.

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