Floyd Watkins
FEBRUARY 20, 20221: FLOYD WATKINS, inventor of the Golf Training & Teaching System featured guest on the PGA Tour Radio channel Sirius XM 280 TODAY@ 9AM ET “The Golf School” with Jeff Warne & Armitage https://www.siriusxm.ca/channels/siriusxm-pga-tour-radio/
(February 15, 2012)–Floyd Watkins enjoys the bustling peach city of Atlanta, Ga. “I love the diversity and also the progressive business atmosphere,” says the sophisticated inventor of the revolutionary Golfers Gym Training and Teaching System which he is pushing to get into the Atlanta school system.
First introduced to golf as a kid, Watkins found a couple of old golf clubs in the dumpster at the housing projects where he grew up. “I kept those clubs forever, it seems like. And, at the time, no one could tell me that I wasn’t a real golfer,” he chuckles.
To date Watkins has not officially calculated his handicap. He admits to spending most of his time making sure that all students have an opportunity to experience the rich character-building principles that golf has to offer.
His primary influence is by implementing his invention, the Golfers Gym Training and Teaching System curriculum, in various schools throughout the country. “At the present time, I am not a member of any established golf clubs or organizations,” says the single father with one son, Langston L. Watkins (13 years old). “Lang” (his nickname) and I spend a lot of time playing a multitude of sports, from golf and basketball to his favorite, baseball.”
Watkins attended Tennessee State University and the University of Kentucky and also devotes time working with the youth in his community, helping them to understand that it is better to “Be A Friend, And Not A Bully!” The 51-year old is a certified Master Instructor of his Golfers Gym Training and Teaching System curriculum and serves as CEO of the Youth Golfers Outreach Program, an organization dedicated to helping the youth of today develop into the most positive citizens and community leaders of tomorrow.
“Our goal at the Youth Golfers Outreach Program is to help provide access to golf for all students, regardless of physical disabilities or gender. We use the same rules and guidelines associated with the golf game – such as honesty, trust, respect, dedication, and discipline – to help mold our youth into responsible adults, who will go on to be positive assets to our local communities.”
Watkins started the organization informally in 1999, as a way to expose as many children as possible to the wonderful game of golf. After discovering how challenging it was “logistically” for the average child to even visit a golf range, in order to learn the fundamentals of the golf game, Watkins recognized his mission. He officially established the Youth Golfers Outreach Program and set out to create a way that children of every social strata could experience the joy and sense of accomplishment that comes with learning the exciting game of golf.
With his heavy travel schedule, Watkins says that he really doesn’t have a real home course. And, in his passion for the game he combines business with pleasure, allowing for him to meet with potential sponsors in hopes of bringing the Youth Golfers Outreach Program to students throughout the nation.
Watkins plays most of his golf rounds to gain a competitive edge in business while networking with associates and potential sponsors discussing his Youth Golfers Outreach Program agenda.
A lot of his golf is played on the Golfers Gym Training System during presentations at school systems throughout Georgia, Kentucky and many parts of Florida. “This allows me to keep my techniques sharp until I can hit the links, about once a month,” he says.
Watkins has had the pleasure of playing in several scrambles, but no sanctioned tournaments to date. He has also been fortunate enough to receive golf instructions and tips from some of the most highly trained teaching pros. “My highlight moment was when I received golf tips from Mr. Jim McLean of the famed Jim McLean Golf Schools. I consider him the number one golf instructor in the game!” proclaims Watkins. “Proper instruction is important and the sessions that I have undergone have really helped to reinforce my natural fundamentals.”
In a game full of challenges, Watkins hope to be able to generate enough corporate sponsorships to allow for more schools to implement his Golfers Gym Training and Teaching System curriculum.
“My motivation to continue to play golf comes from seeking to make sure that students of all physical capabilities, socio-economic background, and genders, will have the opportunity to experience the rich character-building principles that golf has to offer.”
