Home News Dateline – Day 3: Dallas at Cedar Crest

Dateline – Day 3: Dallas at Cedar Crest

by James Beatty

It’s getting warm here!

Day 3

We Are Family is not just the title of the 1979 song by Philly based Sister Sledge but it is  the feeling one has, or one gets  while attending this historic event in south Dallas. The 4 Sledge sisters were given vocal training by their grandmother Viola Williams, a former lyric soprano opera singer and protégée of civil rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune.

The song’s ethos was to establish the dance floor as a social space that cut across the boundaries of class, creed, gender, nationality, race and sexuality.

Well, this week Golf is our dance floor, but I really have seen people swaying and  dancing (including me) to the  infectious background music from our DJ while the folks on the course are trying to make music with their instrument of choice.

Well, it was a party yesterday from the wonderful food being served to the scores being posted. Matthew Vital of Temple University lit it up with a bogey free 6 under 65  to go 8 under  overall to snatch the men’s lead from Texas Southern’s Kci Lindskog who shot even par.

On the ladies side Emily Odwin of SMU shot a  4 under  67 to take the lead from high school sensation Shyla Brown. Emily has pushed her two-round total to minus 8 but Shyla at minus 5 is not going away. I’m sure there will be some great golf today  the final round at Cedar Crest .

I enjoy analysis  and I have been  noodling over some stats from the Showcase 

Here  are some interesting numbers for you to review.

42  Players
21  Men
21  Women
20  Players from HBCU Schools  which is 47.6% of the total field
8   HBCU Schools  in the field
9   Players from Howard University (6 Men 3 Women)  which is 21.4%  of the total field
2  Players from Texas Southern University ( 1 Man 1 Woman)
2  Players from Livingstone College
2  Players from North Carolina Central University
3  Players are in High School or being Home Schooled
2  Female High Schoolers are in the Women’s Top Ten Places after Round 2
78  Was the highest score carded by the Men on Monday
81  Was the highest score carded by the Women on Monday
– 4  Was the best score on Monday  for the Men and the Women
6 Men shot even or under par on Monday
6 Women shot even or under par on Monday
11 Men shot even or under par on Tuesday
8 Women shot even or under par on Tuesday
65 Is the lowest 18-hole score for the Men
67 Is the lowest 18-hole score for the Women
The Par 4 Hole 1 has been the hardest for the Men with a field average of 4.36
The Par 5 Hole 18 has been the easiest for the Men with a field average of 4.36
The Par 4 Hole  1 has been the hardest for the Women with a field average of 4.34
The Par 5 Hole 18 has been the easiest for the Women with a field average of 4.67
132 is the number of Eagles and Birdies made by the Women Thru 2 Rounds
153 is the number of Eagles and Birdies made by the Men Thru 2 Rounds

Networking and Fellowship

While the action on the course was plentiful and exciting, the networking and socializing was even more intense. Let start with the Pro Duffers Golf Club of Dallas. I was told that there are 15 members of the Pro Duffers Golf Club of Dallas  who are volunteering at the Showcase. Here are a couple of them at hole 18 keeping the lively crowd in check as the players are trying to make their putts.

Meet Pro- Duffers  Sherry Addison, VP of the  Southwest Chapter in Dallas and Eddie Mayberry.

Meet Pro- Duffers  Sherry Addison, VP of the  Southwest Chapter in Dallas and Eddie Mayberry.

Another gentleman, Mr. Johnson, brought out a trophy his dad  won back in the day to have it autographed by Cedar Crest General Manager Ira Molayo.

His dad, Albert Lee Johnson aka “Tyler” played in about 60 years in tournaments on the “Chitlin Circuit” in Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois and Missouri. He won or placed top 10 in these  Black golfer events.

Small Business Support

The Showcase  has also showed  outstanding support for small, women and minority owned businesses in the Pro Shop and on the Course. Take a look here.

The Ongoing Fashion Show

Then there is the fashion all around the course starting with longtime coach and mentor Gladys Lee.

Since 1986 she has  been committed to improving the lives of young people as well as adult women using the attributes of golf to grow the game of golf. She established a 501c-3 junior golf program called the Texas International Stroker’s Junior Golf Association, later named in 1997 The Roaring Lambs International Junior Golf Academy.

Well, Tuesday was my last day on the course, so I will watch it from my home in Omaha,Nebraska and will be rooting for everyone. Yes, as Fred Prepall, president of the USGA said at our dinner Sunday night. There will only be 2 trophies awarded at the end of play, but we and the players must remember that they are all winners by virtue of just being selected to come to Cedar Crest and continue to make history, theirs and ours. Thanks Cedar Crest for your leadership. I can only hope other tournaments amateur and pro follow your example of inclusion.

Author

  • Jim is President of Jim Beatty Golf Ventures, organizer of the African American Golf Expo & Forum, and he serves as the Executive Editor of the African American Golfer's Digest. He is also Chair of the We Are Golf Recreational Play Subcommittee on the World Golf Foundation Diversity Task Force. As President of NCS International, an economic development and site selection firm, Jim has been recognized as one of the top 20 Economic Development Professionals in the United States. He has also been honored as a "Golf Pioneer" by the Global Golf Institute and has served on the boards of the Nike Tour and Hogan's Junior Golf Heroes now the First Tee of Omaha. He is a former Board Member of the National YMCA.

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