In his senior year at Rhode Island’s Bryant University, Kris Hart decided to forgo his final season on the varsity golf team to focus on academics. After leaving the team, Hart played little golf at school, a game he cherished, because it was too expensive and inconvenient for a college student. Realizing he was not alone, Hart set out on a mission shortly after college to assist his generation of golfers.

For the last three years, his Boston company, Nextgengolf, has been developing unique membership opportunities and events to lure 18-to-34-year-olds back into the game.

“One important discovery we have made is the break point. People play golf as kids and then stop when they get to college,” Hart said in a recent interview. “Over 226,000 kids play varsity golf in high school, but just over 11,000 of those kids end up playing in college.”

NextGenGolf makes money in three main ways: It sells annual Nextgengolf golf memberships for $50; club golf teams pay dues of $300; and the company also run events over the summer.

One of Nextgengolf’s most successful products, The National Collegiate Club Golf Association (NCCGA), addresses this issue. The NCCGA — a governing body for club golf teams -— sets up and runs regional and national tournaments at premiere courses all over the country, providing a competitive venue for collegiate non-varsity golfers.

In a short time, the NCCGA has evolved into nearly 200 different club golf teams in 28 different regions, supporting approximately 18,000 students. The organization will run 59 tournaments in the U.S. next semester.

Each NCCGA member, along with a range of perks, also receives special discounts of $20 on average at over 700 courses across the country. This makes golf more affordable for millennials and increases revenue for courses by attracting more play. The Putterham Golf Course in Brookline saw over 1,000 rounds from Nextgengolf members in 2014.

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