In 2011, St. Louis golf pro Kevin Corn was reading PGA Magazine and came across a Dallas junior golf program designed for kids with complex medical issues.

As a St. Louis resident proud of the pediatric care our city is known for, he thought, “We should do that here but put it on steroids.”

That is how Kevin started the junior golf program here at Ranken Jordan.

The program is not only an example of how we live our unique care model, Care Beyond the Bedside, it’s also a story about how volunteering at Ranken Jordan every week for the last 14 years (that’s 728 weeks!) has changed Kevin’s perspective on life.

After Kevin had the idea for a junior golf program in the area, one of his friends suggested he check out Ranken Jordan.

Things moved fast after his initial meeting. Kevin, who is now PGA Director of Golf at Innsbrook Resort Golf Course, reached out to the Gateway PGA Foundation and called a contact from St. Louis at U.S. Kids Golf.

Both organizations agreed to donate money and help with equipment, and the program was born.

While Ranken Jordan is proud to offer several adaptive sports programs, golf is unique because it is one of the only sports you can play no matter your ability.

“It’s the only sport you can play on a level playing field,” Kevin said. “I can’t play basketball against Michael Jordan, but we can play on the golf course and have a good match.”

Because Ranken Jordan’s patients have complex medical issues, Kevin teaches patients at all different levels of ability, including patients who have to lie in a hospital bed because they can’t sit or stand.

But that’s why it’s perfect for Ranken Jordan.

“The golf ball doesn’t know whether you’re sitting or standing or have one arm, whatever it may be,” Kevin said. “It allows people the opportunity to be in the same arena as everyone else they’re with.”

Golf is one of many programs, including aquatic therapy and therapeutic art, we offer at Ranken Jordan to encourage kids to get out of their hospital beds and play. We believe kids heal through play, so finding one thing a child loves can unlock his or her healing process.

“It’s more than just the physical, it’s the social and emotional, too,” Kevin said. “These children have been told they can’t do something or they can’t do something again. But at Ranken Jordan, they learn that’s not the case.”

Our weekly golf program is comprehensive. Kevin not only teaches kids golf, he also prepares those who have developed an interest to continue golf when they go home.

Thanks to generous donors who contribute to the golf program, Kevin supplies golf clubs to patients who are about to be discharged but want to continue golf. He even sets them up with a golf pro at their local golf course.

Kevin says a patient’s love for golf is especially important for families as it gives the family a sports activity to do together, something that can be difficult for families with a medically complex child.

Kevin believes golf gives patients hope for the future.

“They’re not going home depressed,” Kevin said. “They have something they can do and look forward to.”

The junior golf program has changed many lives of our patients. Some kids have even gone on to play for their high school golf teams after learning how to play at Ranken Jordan. For some families, it has become a new source of joy and togetherness after trauma.

But Kevin will be the first to say volunteering at Ranken Jordan has changed his life and perspective, too.

While he often hears complaining from adult golfers about the heat or rain, he never hears complaints from Ranken Jordan patients.

“Every Wednesday, I spend an hour with kids who have every right to be ticked off at the world and complain but they don’t,” Kevin said. “They’re happy and they’re being kids. The second you walk in the front door, you don’t feel like you’re in a hospital. All you see is happiness.”

Thanks to Kevin Corn’s incredible commitment to Ranken Jordan, we officially named the golf program the “Kevin Corn Golf Academy ” on June 30, 2025.

Golf at Ranken Jordan is entirely run on donations. If you would like to support our Care Beyond the Bedside model, please give to the Ranken Jordan Pediatric Hospital Foundation at rankenjordanfoundation.org/donate.