Talking Stick Golf Club is known for its breathtaking mountain views and two uniquely challenging 18-hole championship courses. Owned by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the golf club now has the exclusive opportunity to team up with Nike’s N7 project and new golf initiative.
The Nike N7 Golf Project started as an idea by Sam McCracken back in 2000. He reached out to Nike in hopes of fostering a relationship between the booming brand and Native American tribes to help boost physical activity across Indian country and get more Native youth excited about golf.
In the most simplistic terms, Nike N7 is committed to bring athletics and its benefits to Native American and Aboriginal communities throughout North America. Part of the program and support comes from custom designed N7 apparel and footwear. The purchase of these products goes to the N7 Fund, which provides grants to Native American and Aboriginal communities for youth physical activity programs. Then there are the stand-up N7 Ambassadors: world class athletes breaking records and using the power of sport to inspire and encourage the youth in their communities.
N7 collaborator Notah Begay III boasts that the program’s accomplishments and influences thus far are unprecedented. “It’s the single biggest historical opportunity to leverage the accomplishments of Native athletes in a comprehensive effort to shed light on the challenges that Native children face on a day-to-day basis,” said Begay.
The highly successful program is expanding to the Nike N7 Golf Initiative, and it’s launching this month right here in Arizona golf community Talking Stick Golf Resort. This extension of N7 is giving tribally-owned pro shops an “exclusive” on N7 golf merchandise, plus the ability to co-brand the gear, and is sending Native golf pros out into the local communities to help promote the sport.
Talking Stick Golf Club was actually part of a select few clubs that acted as test sites for N7. The club and surrounding community were hand-picked and the results were better than anticipated. In fact, Talking Stick PGA Pro Jason G. Montoya have helped the initiative to go viral by posting the branded merchandise on social media. And this was exactly the goal. “It’s very exciting to say that the only place you can buy this product is at tribally owned golf courses,” McCracken said.
Just like the N7 Fund, sales from the golf initiative will funnel back into the Native communities. The initiative has selected just five N7 Golf professional to help spread the word, and Talking Stick Golf Club’s Jason G. Montoya is one of them, as is Notah Begay III himself. Part of the pros’ focus is to help youth utilize their proximity to these Native-owned golf courses right in their own backyards.
This is not the first bold partnership or cutting edge move by Talking Stick Golf Club. The club already boasts a player development program, top golf coaching and the GenNXT Golf Academy. It also offers SRPMIC and Native American golf rates and the Golf Shop, where the N7 gear is sold, has been recognized as one of the 100 Best Golf Shops, according to Golf World. This partnership with Nike is just one more way Scottsdale golf homes and Arizona golf communities are great places to live and play!
Don Matheson
Realtor | Founder
The Matheson Team – RE/MAX Fine Properties
21000 N. Pima Rd., #100, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
480-405-4228
[email protected]
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