Damon Watson
(July 25, 2011)–Damon Gerard Watson was born in Highland Park in the Detroit (Mich.) metro area and now lives in Livonia, Michigan. He is a graduate of Lincoln University, Lincoln University Pa., and holds a B.A. degree in Theatre Arts, Film and Fashion.
Damon’s father, Fred Watson, first introduced him to golf. Today, the 41-year-old says that he enjoys the game and the wide variety of knowledge and wisdom that comes with participating in the sport. He can often be found playing at his home golf course, Bushwood Golf Club in Northville, Michigan.
Damon attended Detroit Central High School (on the west side of Detroit) and served as Captain of the All-City High School golf team, under the direction of Coach Benjamin Callaway. At the time, Damon’s handicap was 15.
After graduating from high school in New Jerse, he relocated back to Detroit and was coached by the legendary Ben Davis-Davis. -Davis was the very first black PGA Member in the state of Michigan.
Damon is proud to have been a longtime student of golf instructor Ben Davis, who is now 92 years young. “I consider Coach Davis to be the finest coach in the world”, he says.
“Others that I have learned from and admire include Coach B.J. Hathaway of Augusta Golf Instruction and Coach Terry Crick from Traverse City Golf Academy. These men have been very inspirational to me, given me strong confidence and taught me so much about the game,” says the 20 handicapper.
Damon’s list of other former coaches include Brian Jacobs, Hank Haney, Bob Morris, Glen Osbourne and the list goes on. Needless to say, he is adamant about utilizing the services of a professional golf trainer to better your game.
Although Damon is not a member of any golf clubs or organizations, he describes himself as an “online cheerleader for Augusta Golf Instruction.” The site is administered by Coach B.J. Hathaway of Augusta, Ga., and the city seems to be pulling Damon in its direction. “Only time will tell where I end up,” says the father of two young boys.
Damon illustrates the lack of passion concerning kid’s golf as his greatest challenge. “I believe equipment and facilities should be made more readily available to youth,” he says.
“Here in Southeast Michigan, we live in the a mecca of golf, with a ton of golfers and golf businesses. Yet, it is still very hard to find golf equipment and gear for children. I constantly struggle to locate clubs, gloves, etc. for my children. It’s really tough finding kid friendly products in golf.”
Damon is very happily married (10 years) to his wife Joan, “My wife is kind enough to allow me to golf all day!,” he cheers. Together the happy couple has two sons: Damon, Jr. (Damo), age 2 and Troy, age 5. And, the couple just returned recently from the World Junior Masters (Las Vegas) to discover that they have another little one on the way!
According to Damon, his two youngsters are the “King of Kid’ Golf!” He says that his motivation comes from personally witnessing their tremendous amount of talent in golf. Damon is sure that they are future stars of the game.
When he is not taking a trip to the golf course, Damon often takes trips to the library or enjoys train rides accompanied by his family. He and his family also enjoy baseball and basketball and are fond of comics and movies starring super-heroes–loved by their kids.
Damon feels his greatest accomplishment, for his dad and for society, was making the decision to have golf played by his family members for the next 100 years.
His long-term goal includes taking over the entire industry with unrivaled hard work and dedication. According to Damon, “We live for golf. It is our life. We play for the many thousands of children in the Metro Detroit area who have no vision or direction to follow.”
