This Week at WorldGolf.com: May 06, 2008
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Michigan State coach, minority college event spotlight mentors' role in growing golf
Writing at Golf.com this week, PGA Professional Sam Puryear Jr., who coaches Michigan State's golf team, recounts what it's like being the first (and only) black coach at a major college. Puryear also paints a nostalgic picture of growing up in North Carolina under the influence of golfing role models such as Harold Dunovant, Althea Gibson, Charlie Sifford and Lee Elder.
In his story, Puryear was a bit overly optimistic when he wrote that millions of young black kids "fantasize about being Tiger Woods." Millions? But I was struck by this:
"The best way I know to better the lot of blacks in golf is by being the best coach that I can be to the 12 young men who depend on me for guidance during their college careers."
That's what growing the game of golf and positively impacting the lives of young people is all about. Sure, I reckon industry-wide mega initiatives have their place. But don't hold your breath waiting for one to take hold like devoted, grass-roots mentoring.
The teams involved in this week's PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship on PGA Golf Club's Ryder course and Wanamaker course in Port St. Lucie, Fla. are each led by mentors I would hope are having an impact on their players similar to Puryear's.
In its 22nd year, the championship will bring together 175 competitors representing 36 schools. It's more than a college golf tournament, however. During the week competitors attend a career fair where they can network with PGA Professionals and sponsor companies. Here, the student-athletes get a chance to learn more about career opportunities in golf. I've attended the championship in the past and I can tell you it attracts a committed group of competitors and coaches. The people I had the pleasure to meet there over the years love the game of golf and bring a sense of energy and optimism to the game.
Puryear writes that there are only 39 PGA members who are black but he adds that more are enrolled in the PGA's Professional Golf Management program than ever before. Events like the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship may have played a role in bringing those future PGA Professionals into the game. Just as likely, however, it was the good work of mentors like Puryear.
Golf doesn't need another Tiger Woods. It needs more Sam Puryears.
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 Chatting with Tiger's teacher at the Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy
Hank Haney may be Tiger Woods' coach, but he sees little difference in coaching Tiger or any of the 142 teenaged students at the golf academy that now bears his name: the Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy (IJGA) in Hilton Head, South Carolina. "It's the same fundamentals, the same process, the same approach," Haney says.
Also: Golf tips at WorldGolf.com
 Forget the chocolate high! Go golf crazy at Hershey Country Club West in Pennsylvania
People come to Hershey, Pa., for the chocolate, of course. It turns out they should come to play Hershey Country Club's West Course, a rollicking old time ride of a golf course that delivers more unforgettable sights and sounds from its first six holes alone than you could get in a year spent perusing the special edition Hershey Kisses at the town's top tourist magnet.
Gallery: Hershey Country Club's West Course
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 Get ready to be tested at Silverstone Golf Club in Vegas
When golf course architect Bob Cupp went about the business of designing the 27 holes at Silverstone Golf Club in Las Vegas, he knew he had to include design features to test the better players in the game, and that meant plenty of bunkers, doglegs and water. It also meant length: Silverstone has the longest par 5 in Nevada.
Also: Check out these hot Vegas golf packages
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| CLIENT FEATURE |
 Sanctuary Cove in Georgia: A secluded golf community and coastal retreat
The intracoastal waterways of Georgia's Golden Isles will transport you to hidden riches when you find the secluded Sanctuary Cove golf community. Privacy is of the highest order at this coastal retreat, where all your dreams of the perfect life can come true. Sanctuary Cove also has every thing active families could want, including a Fred Couples signature golf course and access to the Atlantic Ocean and local marinas.
Also: Get more info about Sanctuary Cove |
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