Hawaii’s part in helping the PGA of America inspire 40 million golfers and reach $40 billion in annual revenue by 2020 begins March 10 with a few hundred boys and girls new to the game playing for free across the islands.

Clinics for the introductory Hawaii Junior Golf Day, at 13 courses around the state, won’t look like the game most visualize. PGA and LPGA pros and volunteers will gear instruction to kids between the ages of 5 and 17 who have never played or are beginners.

Running, jumping, throwing, kicking and fitness will be part of the progression. Age-appropriate equipment from U.S. Kids Clubs and Starting New at Golf, along with nutritious snacks, will be available.

"The bottom line is to make it really fun for kids," said Greg Nichols, Ko Olina’s director of golf and the Aloha Section liaison. "A healthy child can withstand injuries in the sport if they can run, throw, jump. Football, baseball, surfing, soccer and all those sports contribute to making the best golfer possible."

Noise will be encouraged — on a golf course! — and so will parents, who will be given a "Roadmap to Junior Golf" that explains where to find opportunities to learn, play and compete.

"If you have a child who plays soccer you know where to go next to succeed and where the next game is," said Mary Bea Porter-King, president of the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association. "What’s drawing people away from the game is it’s not easy to get involved with golf and understand the road map to go forward."

The project is sponsored by the HSJGA and Aloha Section PGA — the Hawaii arm of the PGA of America — with help from U.S. Kids Clubs, SNAG, TaylorMade, Kraft Foods and Logo Golf Chips, Inc.

Kids can sign up a half-hour before clinics begin on all four islands, but they are encouraged to preregister at hsjga.org to give organizers a size estimate — and 250 already have. Nichols hopes to see 600 shiny, new, fascinated faces March 10.

There have been similar efforts in the past — Nichols recently found a picture of a clinic that included Stephanie Kono and Tadd Fujikawa — but nothing on this scale. It was inspired by "Golf 2.0," the PGA of America’s new strategic plan to grow the game from its current 27.1 million golfers and $33 billion in annual consumer revenue to the 40-40 in 2020 goal. The PGA describes the plan as "building the vitality of the game for future generations."

"It recognizes we have to infuse new energy and new efforts into trying to grow the game," Nichols said. "We have to really attract more people to the game, not just kids but adults, women and seniors."

Offering beginning kids a fun first experience is crucial, as is the roadmap for parents, which will list golf facilities and programs. The reference will be available on the HSJGA and Aloha Section (aspga.com) websites after March 10.

Equipment also will look much different than in the past. Juniors used to start with cutdown clubs, if they were lucky. U.S. Kids clubs began in 1997 and creates clubs based on a player’s height — beginning at 39 inches — and ability.

SNAG "contains all the elements of golf, but in a modified form" and includes "SNAGOLOGY" rules and terminology. The company says its equipment is for a sport "somewhere between miniature golf and regulation golf." Its portable nature has the Aloha Section hoping to introduce it to schools. Each of the 13 sites will have a starter set next Saturday.

"We’re trying to come in through a different door," Porter-King said. "We hope to show them golf can be fun and we’re trying to teach them to play the game through other activities that are physical.

"We’re not going to stick a club in their hand and have them try to hit a stupid little ball that’s not always going to go where you want it. SNAG equipment offers an immediate reward."

Ideally, it will lead to serious rewards later. The latest HSJGA newsletter has a list of members headed for college teams. Lorens Chan and Aaron Kunitomo will play for UCLA. Alex Chiarella is going to San Diego and Marissa Chow will join Alina Ching at Pepperdine. Seungjae Maeng (Pacific), Margaret Min (Brown), Scotty Yamashita (Hawaii), Jonah Fonacier (Concordia), Kalea Heu and Cassandra Lesa (Utah Valley), and Reyn Morikawa (Southwestern Oregon) plan to continue. Punahou junior Kalena Preus has committed to Texas for 2013.

They had to start somewhere.