| Golfer
Profiles
Quincy Heard
PGA Professional |
Perseverance:
The Quincy R. Heard Story
Quincy R. Heard was born on May 17, 1969 in Montgomery,
Alabama. He was raised by his Aunt Harriet and
Uncle Earl Marsh, while his mother
completed her Bachelor of Science in Education
at Alabama State University. |
In 1988, he joined the Navy and
began playing golf when he was 21 years old.
Quincy entered the PGA of America as a novice
in 1998. It took him many years of hard work and
dedication to pass the PGA of America's Playing
Ability Test requirement (PAT). In 2006, he completed
the requirements and was elected for membership
to the Professional Golfer's Association of America,
becoming Oregon's second African American golf
professional.
(...read more in the Spring 2007 issue.) |
|
Willie
McRae: A
Living Legend
For more than six decades Willie McRae has walked
the pristine and historic fairways of Pinehurst
Golf Club and Resort with a humble and quiet dignity.
He has helped carry on the proud tradition of
the black caddie and for almost 80 years the McRae
family has played |
a prominent role in the history
of Pinehurst.
The McRae Family is just as much a part of the
history of Pinehurst as it’s more famous
guests. Thaddeus McRae, the son of a sharecropper
started caddying at the Pinehurst Golf Club in
1927. He was one of many black caddies that traveled
from the Taylortown, NC a small town just two
miles from the resort to work at the Golf course
that the Tufts Family owned. Caddying was a way
to earn money and support his wife and twelve
children.
(...read more in the Winter/Jan. 2007 issue.)
|
 John
Robinson expects to attract some of
today's most elite junior golfers with his inaugral
G3 Tour(Got Guts Golf) that kicks off in August 2005.
The fundraiser is an opportunity for youth to showcase
their skills and gain national exposure while benefitting
a worthy cause. (Read more in the Summer 2005 issue.)
 Albert
Crews says, "I still
keep the faith," as he reflects on how he almost made
the cut for the U.S Senior Open in July at the NCR
Country Club in Kettering, Ohio. Gain insight into
how the 53-year-old, baptist minister and full-time
mason drove his five-year-old SUV with over 130,000
miles on it for more than 14-hours just to reach the
tournament, only to come three shots short of realizing
his dream. (Read more in the Summer 2005 issue)
 Leonard
Jones knows
the golf scene better than most people you'll probably
ever meet. He's played pro, worked with youth, founded
the Minority Golf Foundation, held a Tiger Woods clinic
and still manages and teaches at two golf venues in
Dallas, Texas. How does he do it? Learn more about
this man on a mission. (Read more in the Summer 2005
issue.)
 Jay
McNair was one of the few Blacks who
got an opportunity to participate on
"The Big Break," The Golf
Channel's hit reality TV show that captured America's
attention. McNair found himself in the
living rooms and homes of many who never knew he and
his exceptional golf skill existed. (Read more in
the Summer 2005 issue.)
 The
Fairplay Foundation
holds it annual Celebrity Open and it has
become the hottest ticket in town during June, when
they hosted the "Kids Night Out" at Six Flags in New
Olreans. Chairman, Dale Brock was
ecstatic with the success of the event that attracted
over 155 youngsters out for an evening of enjoyment
and festivities. (Read more in the Summer 2005 issue.)
 The
Urban Chamber of Commerce
President, Hanna Brown along
with Golf Chair, Edgar "Tee" Taylorand Ann
Gregory's daughter, JoAnn Gregory-Overstreet
filled the course with excitement at Siverstone
GC during their 6th Annual Las Vegas Tournament.Legendary
golfer, Lee Elder was also on hand
as 52 scholarships were awarded to deservinf youth.
(Read more in the Summer 2005 issue.)
 Soulful
Golf is a meticulous duo serving the
community while providing access to high quality golf
activities on demand. Find out how partners Jandi
Smith Turner (left) and Debby Stroman(right) keep
focused on their non-profit firm that offers a full
spectrum of sports marketing services.
( Read more in the Summer 2005 issue.)
 Women
in Golf Foundation successfully
presented their 11th annual Women's Collegiate Golf
Classic.The strong participation of the group has
helped to support three young ladies who are currently
on golf scholarships at Southern University and South
Carolina State.(Read more in the Summer 2005 issue.)
 PGA
Pro, Scott Kennedy is an instructor
of Golf Management at Southwestern Wisconsin Technical
College is lucky to be flanked by his Golden
Knights Youth Porgram memebers.The two-day
academy is held in Milwaukee and sponsered by the
Grace Feelowship Church. The program provide students
and parents with the rules of golf and evening session
on careers and educational opportunities. (Read more
in the Summer 2005 issue.)
 Paula
PearsonTucker is on the right track
towards qualifying to play for the LPGA Tour and make
a name for herself in golf.
(Read more in the Spring 2005 edition.)
Glenn Pratt
owns the Minority Professional Golf Development
Association and says, "African Americans watch white
golfers play on TV, but they don't compete against
them."
Pratt says this was what he was told by his family
and community when he was growing up in Nassau, Bahamas.
By age 20, he was Bahamas Nation Golf Champion and
left to go to the US to compete in professional golf.
So, he grabbed his favorite golf gear, stuffed $400
into his pocket and left home to play the mini-tour
circuit in the United States. Today, the 41-year-old
golfer is Founder and President of the Minority Professional
Golf Development Association (MPGDA) and he is on
a mission to help others compete at the professional
level (...read more in the January 2004 issue).
 Steve
Hogan
Miller Park Golf Course - Omaha,Neb.
Steve Hogan, a PGA member since 1997, is head professional
at Miller Park Golf Course in Omaha, Neb., home of
"Hogan's Junior Golf Heroes," one of the country's
most remarkable inner-city golf success stories. Hogan,
40, is the first Nebraska PGA Section member to win
the PGA Junior Golf Leader Award, which is presented
to a PGA Professional who demonstrates leadership
in junior golf and reflects the ideals of those who
work with youth.
Hogan, who attended Bellevue (Neb.) College for two
years before turning professional in 1989, is a two-time
(1999, 2002) Section PGA Junior Golf Leader Award
winner. Among the many community service awards he
has received are the 2001 Dr. Martin Luther King Living
the Dream Award and the 1997 American Institute for
Public Service Jefferson Award. He also received the
2003 Nebraska Hall of Fame's Dr. Herbert H. Davis
Memorial Award.
"When someone asks me where I went to
college, I say The PGA of America,"
said Hogan. "The PGA is my college. Being a golf professional
is an ongoing education. For me to pass through Business
School II was very hard. Thanks to my wife and kids,
who quizzed me as I was studying, I made it. I have
tried to instill in kids I meet that it is never too
late to reach your dreams. I came off a tractor and
I had dreams. You have to never give up on yourself
and never quit working."
Hogan and his lovely wife, Denett, are the parents
of two children: Steve Jr. and Sierra.
Get to know Buddy Cooper
who has 19 years of teaching golf under his belt.
Cooper started out in Philadelphia, PA at Cobb's Creek
Golf Club, a public 36 hole venue designed as the
"little sister" layout of the world famous Merion
Golf Club in nearby Ardmore, PA.
Cooper is in the midst of completing the requirements
for the PGA of America's Class "A" designation and
currently serves as Lead Instructor at the Bronx Golf
Center in New York City. He's also taught at the prestigious
Jim McLean Golf Academy at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan.
While there he worked with all levels of golfers,
including local pros and he ran the Junior Golf Academy
for two years.
Prior to moving to New York Cooper was the General
Manager and Head Professional of Freeway Golf Course
in Sicklerville, N.J.-the first 18-hole venue owned
and operated by African-Americans in the U.S. At Freeway
Cooper sharpened his tournament playing skills under
the tutelage of PGA life member, Bill Bishop-winner
of over 70 professional tournaments.
Renny Roker
You'll have a lot of fun checking out this fellow
golfer. And surprising, he's a cousin of Today Show
weatherman, Al Roker.
Renny is on a mission to provide top quality lessons
and playing time for kids, ages 10-17, at upscale
resorts and golf courses. His Miramar, Florida-based
organization has teams in over 30 cities. Discover
how his program helps kids with their studies and
fosters a professional attitude while they learn the
rules and business of golf.
More importantly, Teens on the Green works to insure
that all members earn a scholarship to the college
of their choice stemming from their commitment to
the education and experience they received while participating
in the program on and off the course. (...read more
in the Summer 2003 issue.)
 Dr.
George Thomas understands why "It's
never too late." According to Dr. Thomas, president
of the Learning Academy which carries his name. Though
his job was too consuming for him to take up golf,
immediately upon his retirement from the Federal Aviation
Administration in 1994, Thomas, now 74, started taking
lessons.
He's cut his handicap down to an amazing 12. Thomas'
academy just hosted its 9th annual golf tournament
in Silver Spring, MD, that benefits its tutoring and
mentoring program for students of Montgomery County,
the George B. Thomas, Sr. Learning Academy.
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