James Reede III
(July 5, 2012)–Student athlete James “Jay” William Reede, III turned 18-years-old on July 2 and his future is looking brighter than ever before. The Sacramento, Calif., resident got inspired when his father, James W. Reede, Jr., Ed.D, took him and his older sister Jessica out for golf lessons. At the time Jay was just 4 and Jessica was 5-1/2.
Today Jay plays golf all year round and carries a +1.3 handicap. Jessica, 19, is a soon-to-be junior at California State University-Sacramento. “She was also captain of the Women’s Golf Team for two years at Monterey Trail High School and was a sprinter and league 110 Hurdles champion on the track team,” says her proud brother.
Jay is serious about his ambitions in golf and holds membership with several organizations including the Sacramento Area Black Golf Club (6 years), Northern California Minority Junior Golf Scholarship Association-NCMJGSA (12 years), The First Tee of Greater Sacramento (8 years), the Wildhawk Golf Association (5 years) and the Kappa Golf Association Junior’s Program (2 years).
“On average, I am out on the golf course 26 days per month,” Jay says confidently. His home course is Wildhawk, one of Sacramento’s most sought after public golf courses. The course was perfect for him while growing up. It features four sets of tees, has several interesting water features along with uniquely shaped and positioned bunkers. It is still ideal for his practice rounds where he enjoys playing against himself.
Over the years, Jay has had 6 PGA golf instructors work with him to improve various aspects of his game: Nelson Hirst (2 yrs), Matt Holm (2 years), Clyde Daniels and Michael Craft (12 years), Clifford Cheathon (4 Years-high school golf coach, Pat Carroll (6 years). This combined 26 years of training gives Jay the competitive edge he needs to continue his fast-paced rise to the top of the leaderboard.
“The training and coaching has helped develop my swing technique, focus, attitude, and course management,” says the teen who holds down a 3.6 GPA. He also serves as an active Volunteer Assistant Golf Instructor teaching inner-city and disadvantaged youth the game of golf with the NCMJGSA and The First Tee.
This summer has been full of action for Jay. He was selected by The First Tee to play in the Champions Tour Nature Valley First Tee Open, July 5-8 in Pebble Beach. He was also invited to participate in the 13th Annual William “Bill” Dickey Invitational Junior Golf Championship, (BDI) that was held June 17-20, 2012 at The Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta, Georgia.
“I have 427 hours with NCMJGSA and 165 with The First Tee. These hours are part of the 1250+ hours which I have volunteered in the Sacramento and Elk Grove communities over the past six years.” In his spare time Jay admits that he also enjoys parties, “and the girls.”
Photo Left: August 5, 2011 at the Western States Golf Association’s (WSGA) 31st Alan Bennett Memorial Junior Golf Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada. (L-R) Debbie Moaning WSGA Jr. Director, James W. Reede, III, Danielle Gladd, Exec. Director The First Tee of Southern Nevada and Granville Brown, President WSGA.
“My biggest challenge with golf is remembering that my last stroke is now in the past and focusing on the next. However, I stay motivated because I love the challenge.”
Jay is an extremely well-rounded person and has an interesting and fulfilled lifestyle. Most notably he has had an article published with the USGA, “The Career Of A Golf Professional,” is a 1st Dan (degree) Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, runs cross country track, plays the jazz saxophone and has also won a number of engineering awards with his senior project, a solar-powered trash compactor, that he designed (using Autocad), fabricated and assembled.
Jay will be going to Jackson State on a golf scholarship this fall. No doubt, with such talent, personal, charm and brilliance, he is a role model that both youth and adults can admire.
