James Draper III
(March 15, 2012)–James David Draper III, aka “Jee Dee”, is part of a legacy of golf, as well as greatness within the minority community. Both his father and grandfather were avid golfers and prominent within their community for being exemplary athletes and inspiring mentors & coaches.
“My grandfather, James Draper Sr. (Jim), was a very talented golfer… He was one of the first minority golfers to play Bethpage Park Golf Course in NY…In 1985, my father James D. Draper Jr. (David), took up the game and I joined him,” says Draper.
Draper’s passion for sporting can most certainly be in part due to his own father’s athletic prowess. David played both basketball and baseball at the collegiate level. He went on to coach various sports for nearly fifty years, taking the Martinsville High School (Virginia) golf team to six consecutive district titles, three regionals, and three statewide individual champions. He received district and regional Coach of the Year honors in all sports. Draper adds, “He is currently a professional bowler and plays golf both right and left handed.”
His father’s accomplishments live-on in Draper. He is a mentor, certified mental health professional, golf historian, and has also coached golf, tennis, and basketball on a high school level. He is currently the Therapeutic Day Treatment Counselor of the Family Preservation Services in Martinsville, VA, with more than ten years experience in the field. He is even finishing a degree at Winston Salem State University where he is also a member of the golf team.
When he’s not golfing, he also enjoys spending time with family, playing men’s league basketball, or watching professional wrestling. It’s clear Draper has no shortage of things to do. He notes,
“As a father of four, a full-time employee, a full-time student, and a member of a collegiate golf team, the challenge lies within my focus and time management.”
Draper, age 35, also recognizes all of the benefits golf has on your mental and physical stamina. “It is a game that puts you in self-analyzing situations: man against man, man against nature,” says Draper. What keeps him motivated is remembering “the pioneers who put up with the racial biases and disrespect to allow [contemporary minority golfers] to be in this position.”
Aside from his father and grandfather, he was trained with notable golfer Jerell Field’s, assistant pro at TPC Piper Glen in Charlotte, NC. Draper notes, “[He] is a product of the PGA Diversity Program that assists young black golfers in obtaining PGA teaching status.”
Draper has received numerous awards over the years for his game going all the way back to years at Carlisle High School in Matinsville, VA. He notes, “My first significant victory came in the first annual Andrew Haley Memorial (dedicated to my pro’s son who passed away that year), which is now a big junior event in Virginia.”
More recently he has won the WSSU Spring Invitational last spring, the H.L. Cochrane National Minority Collegiate Golf Championship (1996), been a medalist in every CIAA match (taking the gold in the 1997 championship), and was nominated MVP for the Johnson C. Smith University golf team.
On other fronts, Draper is publisher of BLACK GOLF TALK on Facebook and Twitter. He is also a parent-volunteer for The First Tee of the Triad and assists with the One Stroke Youth Development and Gang Prevention Program. He serves as Vice President of VA|BESPOKE GOLF, which also offers tailored suits and an urban fashion line.
Promoting young minority golfers is a passion for Draper. “My personal goal is to be a collegiate coach at a HBCU or become a teaching professional as I hope that my experiences will pay-off to continue a legacy of minority golf talent,” he says. He has definitely got the stats to prove he’s an apt teacher, helping twelve golfers go on to the collegiate-level during his time assistant coaching with his father at Martinsville High School.
Draper is engaged with four children-3 girls and 1 boy. His son Jordan, 9, sometimes plays with his father and enjoys the game. No question, he would do well to follow suit in the legacy of his forefathers.
