Gainbridge Assists Powered by Parity Helps Open Doors to Exciting Futures Via 'I GOT THIS' Foundation

By Doug Milne

 

BELLEAIR, Fla. - On many occasions, what one says comes to largely define a person. At times, the assertion is a reminder to speak cautiously. Other times, though, the belief is shared more as a celebration of one’s enviable character.

 

In the case of Amy Bockerstette, it’s most definitely the latter. But, first things first.  

 

Recently, Gainbridge®, Parity and the Women’s Sports Foundation® (WSF®) announced the 2025 recipients of the Gainbridge® Assists Powered by Parity grant program. A total of $222,000 was divided among 32 organizations and athletes spanning the country. The grants are in honor of Gainbridge ambassador, sports icon and equality enthusiast, Billie Jean King.

 

Now in its third year, the intent is for the grants to help level playing fields and expand access to sports and education for girls, women and other athletes. As a result, Gainbridge Assists has proved pivotal at driving equity in sports, directly supporting grassroots leaders, elite athletes and community-based programs which use sport as a platform to build confidence, opportunity and leadership.

 

Representing a diverse network of changemakers, each of this year’s recipients received $5,000 for an event or project that supports girls and women in sports and/or education.

 

On site at this week’s ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican – all the way from Arizona – was one of those recipients, Amy Bockerstette. Specifically, the grant funds are directed at the organization she and her family created, ‘I GOT THIS’. The history of the organization dates to three simple words delivered emphatically in 2019 by – and for – Amy: “I got this.”

 

During a practice round at the 2019 WM Phoenix on the PGA TOUR, a video which went viral the world over featured Gary Woodland offering Amy, who lives with Down Syndrome, the opportunity to come from the crowd and play the famed par-3 16th hole with him at TPC Scottsdale.

 

When asked by Woodland – on more than one occasion – if she needed assistance with any of her shots, each time, Bockerstette responded with the same three words: “I got this.” With a legit par on the hole, Amy did have it. Not only did the video warm the hearts and minds of countless people, it gave hope and inspiration to the sector of the world living with intellectual disabilities.

 

As Amy’s family and friends came to comprehend the impact that 3-minute video and those three words had on the world, it gave them an idea. That idea took shape in the form of a foundation featuring camps and clinics designed to give disabled individuals and their families the belief that they, too, got this.

 

“The ‘I GOT THIS’ Foundation was started in 2019 with the mission to promote professional golf instruction and playing opportunities for people with Down Syndrome and/or other intellectual disabilities,” said Tracy Hupko, Executive Director, I GOT THIS Foundation. “It’s amazing to see the results at the end of a clinic or camp. We’re really making a difference with our athletes by giving them an experience or opportunity they may not have known was out there. Also, the family is an integral part of the program as a playing partner. That allows them to get an even better idea of what the individual is capable of.”

 

Based in Glendale, AZ, the ‘I GOT THIS’ Foundation initially hosted two 2-hour clinics and two 5-day camps in the Phoenix market. In the last two years, the Foundation has increased its presence across the country and now offers two-to-four clinics and camps. To date, the Foundation has reached over 400 individuals.

 

“The joy the athletes have when they find their own ‘I got this’ moment is just moving,” said Hupko. “Then, when you see the look on the parents or loved ones’ faces, you see they have their own ‘I got this’ moment going on….that being the realization that their child is more capable than first thought.”

 

Earlier this year, Hupko and team applied for one of the Gainbridge Assists grants. In September, they were notified that they were one of the recipients. The decision makers saw tremendous value in the organization started by a young woman with a disability.

 

“We loved being a Gainbridge grant recipient,” said Amy’s mother, Jenny. “They not only helped us out with our charity scramble recently, but they also brought us here to The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican to host a clinic and show what we do. We loved how things went with the clinic here. This is a great facility and amazing tournament.”

 

“This really is an introduction to golf for a lot of people with intellectual impairment,” said Hupko. “Our goal is to promote inclusion through golf, because Amy was able to experience that.”

 

And now, more than six years removed from her confident delivery of those three words – “I got this” – Amy and her family’s lives continue to evolve in remarkable ways. So, too, do the lives of countless others who may have otherwise been counted out.   

 

“We could have never predicted how that day and that response went back in 2019,” Jenny said. “It changed all our lives. When we decided to start the Foundation, we felt like it was a great way to pay it forward for other families, like ours. Our favorite part about all of it was when other families would reach out to us.”

 

“This Foundation is a great way for individuals with disabilities to find their place in the world and to build something bigger and better than anyone thought possible,” Hupko said.

 

With all Gainbridge does along those lines for so many every day, there couldn’t have been a more fitting location to share Hupko’s words than at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.

Of course, on top of the immeasurable value delivered by Gainbridge, the tournament host accounted for a bit of excitement, as well. 

 

“Annika is so gracious,” Jenny said. “Just to be in her sphere is really cool. She’s the G.O.A.T. She is wonderful.”

 

Three great words to finish well with.