Oneda Castillo has attained the esteemed LPGA Master Professional Status, which is the highest designation for LPGA Teaching & Club Professional Membership. The achievement makes her only the second African American to attain this distinction.
Expressing her accomplishment, Oneda told this publication, “This goal has been on my list for years, and now, completing it brings a sense of fulfillment. Attaining the status demands time and a deep dive into the subject, requiring dedicated time and effort,” she emphasized. The LPGA Master Professional status is pursued individually by candidates who progress at their own pace and candidates must be in good standing for 10 years to apply.
Oneda’s journey involved comprehensive research, including interviews with approximately 37 individuals across various professional levels in the golf industry. Notably, the emphasis was on members of the Black golfing community, where she interviewed esteemed figures such as Dr. Tommy Dorsey, Founder of the Orlando Minority Youth Golf Association; Maulana Dotch, PGA, the First Black Woman PGA Member to Serve as a General Manager of a Golf Facility; LPGA/Class A Coach Gladys Lee; Jamie Taylor, LPGA, Founder of the Black Golf Directory; Harold Varner III, a PGA and LIV Tour professional, among others.
After submitting her research to the LPGA committee, it underwent a thorough review, including reference checks, leading to its approval. The next step for Oneda is officially presenting her findings before her LPGA peers, which could happen within the next several months. Currently, there are 71 LPGA Master Professionals, Oneda, age 71, is only the second African American to earn this prestigious designation, following in the footsteps of Carrie Russell in 1983. Russell earned a bachelor’s degree from Delaware State University and a master’s degree from West Chester State University. She was the first African American to receive LPGA Master Life Professional Member status. Russell died in 2012.
Oneda joined the LPGA in 1997 and achieved Class A status as an LPGA Teaching and Club Professional (T&CP) in 2003, making her one of the few African American women to accomplish this.
Among Oneda’s numerous achievements in golf, she is a distinguished member of the African American Golfers Hall of Fame and holds roles as a golf coach, consultant, and motivational speaker based in Fayetteville, GA. She serves as the Director of Golf for the Women in Golf Foundation and achieved a personal milestone by playing golf in all 50 states. In 2015, Oneda was honored as the Clubfitting Professional of the Year and graced the cover of the African American Golfer’s Digest that same year. From 2017 to 2020, she secured a spot on the LPGA Top 50 Best Teachers list. She has remained an LPGA top 50 teacher since 2017 and just this year was named as one of the 11 LPGA Elite Teaching Professionals.
Learn more about Oneda by visiting her webpage http://www.onedagolf.com/
