July 12, 2020

BY AAGD STAFF

The rolling effects of the coronavirus pandemic continue to negatively impact college golf programs. Thursday, Dartmouth College announced it was cutting their men’s and women’s golf teams from its athletics department.

Founded in 1769, Dartmouth is a member of the Ivy League and consistently ranks among the world’s greatest academic institutions.

The move to remove the golf program comes about six weeks after Brown University cut its men’s and women’s golf teams, and as the Ivy League announced it would not host fall sports in 2020. Considering other similar statements across the country, it is increasingly plausible other golf programs are in danger as well.

Philip Hanlon, President of Dartmouth, the school is known as the “Big Green,” shared the decision that was made as a part of an enrollment/admissions decision, one which eliminated 10 percent of recruited athletes from incoming classes. Golf was joined by men’s and women’s swimming and diving as well as men’s lightweight rowing. In total, 110 student-athletes were on those teams.

As disheartening as it may be, the Dartmouth golf teams were already limited in their facilities this year. The future for the golf team is also in jeopardy as Hanover Country Club, a semi-private course owned by the college, was closed in late April for the remainder of 2020. The course had been on the brink of shutting down in the past, so now that it’s gone, if the Dartmouth golf team does revive, there is the problem of where they will practice and play.

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Looking at this college golf elimination, is it a sign of what other colleges across the country may be facing? In April, St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas cut its golf program. A long list of colleges have made similar cuts.

Both men’s and women’s college golf, while having fall seasons, do not host championship competition until the spring. The various athletics cuts happening at universities across the country could very well extend into golf. Stanford, one of the best golf programs in the country — both men’s and women’s — decided to maintain its golf programs while cutting 11 others. The men’s golf team at the University of Akron was not spared the same fate as its program was eliminated back in May.

July 6, 2020

Springfield golf legend Horton Smith has come under fire for promoting a Caucasian-only policy and barring Black golfers from the PGA of America.

Smith, a two-time Masters Champion, including the inaugural tournament, recently had his name removed by the PGA of America from its “Horton Smith Award” after a review of history revealing he defended the Caucasian-only membership clause when he served as PGA president in the 1950s.

He holds a record of six professional tournament wins before the age of 21. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1990.

The decision to remove Smith’s name from the award came shortly after Wendell Haskins, the PGA of America’s former director of diversity, had a critical comment about the Springfield native in mid-June in the African American Golfer’s Digest.

Haskins wrote about different recommendations he had for the PGA of America going forward in an open letter sharing his personal experiences concerning race and the PGA during his tenure.

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“Rename The Horton Smith Award,” Haskins wrote. “He was a racist.”

After the article was published, PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh responded, telling Golf Digest, “I had never met Wendell, so I reached out to him and had a two-hour video chat. I listened carefully to his ideas and took them to heart in our ongoing efforts to make the PGA of America and the game of golf more inclusive and diverse. I appreciate the opportunity to share views, and we thank him for the dialogue.”

A few weeks later, the PGA of America changed the name of the award.

“In renaming the Horton Smith Award, the PGA of America is taking ownership of a failed chapter in our history that resulted in excluding many from achieving their dreams of earning the coveted PGA Member badge and advancing the game of golf,” PGA President Suzy Whaley said in a press release. “We need to do all we can to ensure the PGA of America is defined by inclusion. Part of our mission to grow the game is about welcoming all and bringing diversity to the sport.

“With the new PGA Professional Development Award, we will recognize effective inclusion efforts and honor those across our 41 PGA Sections who continue to promote and improve our educational programs. We look forward to doing more of both as we move forward.”

One of the most notable incidents in which Smith promoted the Caucasian-only clause came at the San Diego Open in 1948, when he was serving as the PGA president.

According to an ESPN article, the sponsors of the San Diego Open in January 1948, unaware of the Caucasians-only clause, invited former heavyweight champion Joe Louis to play in its inaugural event.

Read more in the Springfield News Leader

LAKE TAHOE, Nev., (July 10, 2020) – Monday at 8 p.m. ET, celebrity athletes – including two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry and Basketball Hall-of-Famer and TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley – will be featured on Race and Sports in America: Conversations, a wide-ranging roundtable discussion special that will simulcast on GOLF Channel, NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), NBC Sports Regional Networks and the Olympic Channel.

“We have to continue to double down and keep people accountable in all walks of life, all industries, all forms of leadership, the judicial system. And hopefully for my kids’ generation, their kids, we will see change.” – Stephen Curry 

“This crap started 400 years ago. We can’t do anything about that. We can’t do anything about systematic racism. What I challenge every Black person, every White person to do: What can I do today going forward? And you have to tell yourself, ‘I want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.’ Because if you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem.”  – Charles Barkley

Hosted by Damon Hack (GOLF Channel / NBC Sports), and filmed Thursday at the American Century Championship golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, the one-hour primetime special will focus on topics ranging from social justice, locker room conversations about race, and ways that sports can help combat inequality. Additional subjects will include the relationship between athletes and law enforcement, reaction to George Floyd’s death and reflections on personal experiences in the weeks since, as well as thoughts on what the conversations should be a year from now.

Additional athletes joining Curry and Barkley on Race & Sports in America include:

• James Blake – 10-time ATP tennis champion
• Troy Mullins – World Long Drive competitor
• Anthony Lynn – Los Angeles Chargers Head Coach
• Jimmy Rollins – World Series champion Shortstop
• Kyle Rudolph – Minnesota Vikings Tight End
• Ozzie Smith – Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer

Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Jerome Bettis also sat down with Damon Hack for an extended one-on-one interview that will be available on NBC Sports’ digital and podcast platforms in conjunction with the television airing.

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The panel of participants are all competing in the American Century Championship, a 54-hole tournament taking place at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Lake Tahoe. A field of 71 participants from the world of sports and entertainment are competing in the three-day tournament, one of the longest-running made for television events. Live coverage airs today on NBCSN (5-8 p.m. ET) and NBC on Saturday and Sunday (3-6 p.m. ET).

The tournament is being contested without spectators and under social distancing guidelines in accordance with governmental and health guidelines. All prize money and additional donations from the 2020 American Century Championship are being donated to organizations supporting COVID-19 relief efforts, the Equal Justice Initiative and Lake Tahoe regional non-profits.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (July 8, 2020) – The PGA of America is encouraging diverse and locally owned vendors to provide sourcing in support of the 2021 PGA Championship at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina. 

Minority, women, LGBT, Disabled, Veteran, and locally-owned businesses are invited to participate in the PGA VendorMatch program. Companies can register through July 31, 2020 at PGAVendorInclusion.org to potentially interview with larger, direct vendors (known as prime or Tier 1 vendors), for opportunities during the PGA Championship, to be held May 17-23, 2021. 

“We are thrilled to host our fifth annual PGA VendorMatch for the PGA Championship,” said PGA of America Chief People Officer Sandy Cross. “The PGA has a rich history of successful championships in the Palmetto State. We’re excited to provide a unique opportunity to connect qualified local and diverse-owned vendors with our prime vendors, to deliver value and innovation to our Championship supply chain, and positively impact the economy within the state of South Carolina.”

Golf is an $84 billion industry, and major events like the PGA Championship generate substantial entertainment and tourism dollars for host cities and surrounding areas. Accordingly, the PGA is committed to building a supply chain representative of America’s population. 

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“It’s important to the PGA to bring value to our host cities,” said PGA of America Chief Championships Officer Kerry Haigh. “This opportunity increases our ability to deliver economic impact and an outstanding experience through our championship operations.”  

Companies interested in registering should visit PGAVendorInclusion.org. A variety of services are needed, such as food products, temporary housing, florals and labor. A full listing of needs is featured on the website. 

All registrations must be received by July 31, 2020 to be considered.

About the PGA of America
The PGA of America is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, composed of nearly 29,000 PGA Professionals who daily work to grow interest and inclusion in the game of golf. For more information about the PGA of America, visit PGA.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

BY AAGD STAFF

July 8, 2020 — All hopes are dashed. The ongoing complications and unstable rising-and-falling of both the public death rate and infection toll of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ryder Cup has become a casualty. This event was a strong hopeful for golf fans around the world, many who thought that somehow the event would evade impact of COVID-19. Even as the prospect of allowing fans to attend the match at Whistling Straits in Haven, Wis., became inevitable along with players toting their resistance of playing rounds without a crowd, the unavoidably of the decision to cancel became official on Wednesday.

The Ryder Cup has been postponed until 2021 with the Presidents Cup also moving back a year to 2022. The news came as part of a joint announcement from the PGA of America, PGA Tour and European Tour.

“Unlike other major sporting events that are played in existing stadiums, we had to make a decision now about building facilities to host the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits,” said Seth Waugh, PGA of America CEO, in the statement.

“It became clear that as of today, our medical experts and the public authorities in Wisconsin could not give us certainty that conducting an event responsibly with thousands of spectators in September would be possible. Given that uncertainty, we knew rescheduling was the right call.

“We are grateful to Commissioner Jay Monahan and our partners at the PGA Tour for their flexibility and generosity in the complex task of shifting the global golf calendar.”

Even as the announcement of professional golf resuming in the United States with the PGA Tour’s June competition, safety measures have kept fans from attending events, and it appears due to the virus’ spread across the country that stance will continue for the foreseeable future. In April, Waugh confirmed his organization was exploring the prospect of a fan-less Ryder Cup. However, players from both sides—particularly Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka—were vocal in their opposition to hosting an event without spectators.

The strong point is the financial concentration in which the Ryder Cup plays to both the PGA of America and the European Tour. This large revenue stream greatly complicates matters, because, by postponing the event both of these large organizations will feel an impact. For the Euro Tour; CEO Keith Pelley has been admitting that the budget will face constraints, especially when the tour restarts this month.

Additionally, synchronizing the move with the PGA Tour is an issue. While the tour does not operate or oversee the Ryder Cup, it does run the Presidents Cup, the biennial match between United States and International players outside of Europe. To move the Ryder Cup back required the tour signing off on delaying the 2021 Presidents Cup, set for Quail Hollow in Charlotte, to 2022.

“These two premier international team events are lifted by the spirit of the fans,” Monahan said in the statement. “With the uncertainty of the current climate, we fully support The Ryder Cup’s decision to delay a year in order to ensure fans could be a part of the incredible atmosphere in Wisconsin, and the delay of this year’s Presidents Cup was the right decision in order to allow for that option.”

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Said U.S. captain Steve Stricker, “While it is disappointing that the Ryder Cup won’t be played this year, the decision to reschedule is the right thing to do under the circumstances. At the end of the day, we want to stage a Ryder Cup that will rival all other Ryder Cups in my home state of Wisconsin, and now we have the opportunity to showcase the event as it was meant to be seen.”

The reliance of the two events on one another will have a type of domino effect, not to mention that when The Ryder Cup returns it will be an “odd year” cadence, which is how the event was held from its founding in 1927 to 1999. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States pushed the 2001 event to 2002, and it has stayed on an even-year rhythm since.

The 2021 Ryder Cup will be played Sept. 24-26, 2021, with the Presidents Cup now set for Sept. 23-25, 2022.

Another upset due to the Presidents Cup postponement: The PGA Tour’s 2021 Wells Fargo Championship will be held at Quail Hollow, with TPC Potomac hosting the event in 2022.

July 8, 2020

The goal of the Ashaunta A. Epps Educational Scholarship is to assist deserving youth in the A Perfect Swing Foundation with continuing education expenses.  This scholarship also serves as an introduction to the scholarship process that these youths will be encouraged to participate in as high school seniors.

Scholarship Amounts: $200.00 and $250.00

Application requirements due date: July 25, 2020

To be eligible to apply for this scholarship, each applicant must:

• Be an active member of the A Perfect Swing Foundation (not the same as PGA Junior League) for the 2020 peak season
• Attend a minimum of three (3) Back Swing of Business events (April-October)
• Will be attending an accredited school (or educational program) in grades 6-8 for the 2020-2021 school year

Or

• For 2020 special donor’s scholarship –  attending an accredited school (or educational program) in grades 9-12 for the 2020-2021 school year

To apply for this scholarship, each applicant must submit allthe following:

• A completed scholarship application form
• A 250-500 wordessay answering the following questions:
  • Who are you?
  • Why is education important to you?
  • How will this scholarship help you to progress in school?
  • How will you use the money?
• A completed recommendation form froman adult that does not live in your immediate household
• A completed recommendation form from your teacher or school official
• A copy of your report card for the end of the year

You can download an application from our website HERE. The Backswing of Business requirement for eligibility has been removed.

A Perfect Swing Golf
P.O. Box 38091
Charlotte, NC 28278
[email protected]
(704) 883-9844

ABOUT A Perfect Swing Golf Association
In the game of golf, one of the most critical steps to hitting the ball well, is to get your backswing right. Your backswing gets you in a proper position to hit the ball in the sweet spot, so you can maximize your distance. Just as the backswing in golf is key to hitting the ball successfully, so is your backswing in life, for achieving your goals. Your backswing in life is preparing yourself with the proper tools to achieve success. These tools include improving communication and networking skills, a great resume, job or industry research, a 30-second elevator pitch, etc. Having these tools in your backswing arsenal helps you win off the course, but also prepares you to win on the course. There are several rules regarding dress, etiquette, and equipment that you need to know about before playing on a course. A Perfect Swing, Inc. offers workshops to help you take your skills to the next level of play on and off the course. Our staff is available to present at your next team builder, event, or conference.