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LPGA Foundation 2016 Scholarship Opportunities For Young Women

by Debert Cook

The LPGA Foundation administers several scholarship programs for young women who enjoy the game of golf and plan to attend college in the fall. Qualifications for all scholarships include strong academic programs, community service, and recommendations.

The LPGA Foundation’s structure also allows for the establishment of endowed scholarships in honor or in memory of individuals who made a significant difference in the world of golf.

    • The Dinah Shore Scholarship is awarded to an outstanding female, high school senior who played golf during high school but will not be playing collegiate golf. One $5,000 scholarship is awarded annually.

    • The Marilynn Smith Scholarship is awarded to high school seniors who will be playing golf at the collegiate level. Up to twenty $5,000 scholarships will be awarded in 2016 to the most highly-qualified candidates.

  • The Phyllis G. Meekins Scholarship is a need-based award given to a high school senior from a recognized minority background who will be playing golf at the collegiate level. One $1,250 scholarship is awarded annually.

  • The Goldie Bateson Scholarship is an initiative of the LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals (T&CP) Midwest Section membership and is awarded to junior golfers between the ages of 7 and 17 who have an interest in learning and playing the game of golf. Ten $250 scholarships will be awarded in 2016. Eligible candidates must reside within one of the following LPGA T&CP Midwest Section States: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Alabama.

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AXA Presents LPGA Leadership Academies

by Debert Cook

Two New Sites will Host the 2016 LPGA Leadership Academies

After a successful pilot program in 2015, AXA Financial Group is sponsoring two LPGA Leadership Academies!

Forty, special young women, ages 14 – 18 will be selected to attend this two-day academy with LPGA’s finest teaching professionals!

The LPGA Leadership Academy will provide the tools for teenage girls to discover how they envision their unique leadership potential through team-building activities, communication development, and, of course, golf!

Participants will enjoy a free, two-day academy in an idyllic environment while developing their golf skills with the help of some of the nation’s best LPGA Teaching Professionals and female executives. Utilizing golf as the medium, key life-lessons will be addressed throughout the Academy, which will ultimately unlock each girl’s true potential.

How do you get selected?
First step is to complete an application for the site that you would like to attend. Once all of the applications are reviewed, forty girls will be selected to attend the academy. You must be between the ages of 14 -18 with golf experience and equipment to be considered. For more details about the academies at each location, see below:

July 12 – 13, 2016

Riverwalk Golf Club
1150 Fashion Valley Rd
San Diego, CA 92108

Click here to apply for this location

August 22 – 23, 2016

Glen Arbor
234 Bedford Center Road
Bedford Hills, NY 10507

Click Here to Apply for this location

The application deadline is Friday, May 6, 2016.

 

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Tiger Woods– 20 Years of Rights and Wrongs.

by Debert Cook

In August 1996, Tiger Woods turned professional and set about changing the game of golf forever.
Over the intervening 20 years, he’s set records on the course and off it with his prodigious talent and immense marketability.
And it’s over the greens and fairways of Augusta National that the now 40-year-old Woods has cemented his legacy.


Of his 14 major triumphs, four have come at the iconic course.
Although he won’t be gracing this year’s tournament — the second time in three years Woods has missed the Masters — his presence is always felt when the year’s first major comes around.
As he prepares to enter his third decade as a pro athlete, CNN reporters recall the times they met one of the history’s most fascinating sportsmen.

“I have long been a sports fan and followed Woods’ amateur career. When CNN asked me if I would like to meet Tiger and interview him, I jumped at the opportunity. I believed he would likely become the best golfer to ever play the game.
“People were very excited to meet him. There was a buzz on the boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey where this all took place. People knew he was a young man who was likely to make history.
“Woods was polite, thoughtful, and considerate. I remember thinking to myself that I hoped he would always stay that way because I was so certain he would be immensely successful and so many people who become rich and famous don’t keep the values they had when it all began.

Read more by By Tom McGowan, Gary Tuchman, Don Riddell and Shane O’Donoghue, on CNN.com

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National Black Golf Month Reigns in The Action, Again

by Debert Cook

NBGM_april_2016_400“For the sixth year in a row, I am honored to declare April as National Black Golf Month.  The 30-days in April offer a tremendous benefit to golfers who wish to get out on the course and play the game, and an opportunity for those who are curious about playing, to learn more” said Debert Cook, CMP, publisher of the 13-year-old, national magazine.  The featured event for National Black Golf Month is the New Orleans Jazz and Golf Masters Tournament & Achievement Awards.  “We hope that golfers, and non-golfers, will flock to New Orleans for this exciting program that we have been promoting for several months, honoring some of the best in golf and jazz.”

Celebration the sixth year of National Black Golf month, the African American Golfer’s Digest is openly inviting golf clubs, organizations, and industry and community leaders nationwide to join in championing the effort that is geared to raising awareness of the game among African Americans.The designated month has received support from several U.S. mayors, who have declared their patronage by proclaiming a “National Black Golf Month” and “National Black Golf Month Day” in their respective cities including: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (New York, NY); Mayor Mayor Kasim Reed (Atlanta, GA); Mayor William A. Bell, Sr. (Birmingham, AL); Mayor Jim Suttle (Omaha, NE) and Mayor Buddy Dyer (Orlando, FL).  Others are also expected to join the campaign throughout the month. A resolution was also introduced into the Louisiana Legislature by Senator Karen Carter Peterson.

We are reaching people this April at the core of Black communities—in inner-city schools, churches and at public courses, referring them to our National Calendar of Golf Events and our list of African American Golf Trainers, all to help Black Americans to become involvement in the game,” says Cook.

national black golf pioneers_500x550

According to the National Golf Foundation (NGF) research report, Minority Golf Participation in the U.S, 2015 edition, Twenty years after Tiger Woods stepped before a microphone in Milwaukee on Aug. 28, 1996, and with the words “Hello, World,” touched off the most meaningful golf industry growth since Arnold Palmer and President Eisenhower jump-started it 40 years earlier, there are reasons to be confident about the stability of the game.

While the latest NGF participation numbers show a slight dip in 2015 to 24.1 million (over the age of 6 who played at least once) from 24.7 million the two previous years, numbers remained strong in several crucial areas: among committed golfers, beginning golfers and in the number of people interested in taking up the game.  While the total drop in golfers from 2014 to 2015 was within the national study’s statistical margin of error, the results do suggest that a slow leak in overall participation persists. However, NGF analysis continues to show that attrition is confined mainly to those who never really got into the game.

“It has always been the mission of our publication to grow and expose the game to as many Black people in America as we possible could.  Golf has so many benefits socially, health-wise and it is a wonderful game that can be played for a lifetime,” said Ms. Cook.   “Golf is one of the fastest growing sports among our demographic, and by declaring April as National Black Golf Month, it is our desire to see citizens, young and old, in all of our communities, at all income levels become involved in this game that is filled with influential leaders.”

Previously, Cook has mentioned the fact that Black people are becoming genuinely concerned about what they eat, how much they work out, their overall health, and many are now seeking to engage in activities where they feel accepted and comfortable.  “National Black Golf Month is what this is all about.”

“Many people have been surprised to learn that this monthly designation exists; they had no idea there are free golf programs for their youth, scholarships for their students, and more….this is all great news to spread” says Cook.

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All-New All-New 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Raises the Minivan Bar Raises the Minivan Bar

by Debert Cook

Chrysler PacificaThe minivan that introduced the “family people mover” vehicle concept raises the bar to a new level with the newly designed 2017 Chrysler Pacifica. Manufactured on a brand new platform that offers more technology and functions, including the first Hybrid in the minivan class.

 

chrysler pacifica-8

The original minivan was introduced by Chrysler more than 30 years ago, grew out of the need to “move family, people and stuff”, according to Chrysler engineers, “we wanted to build the best people mover possible.

chrysler pacifica-7

 

Chrysler Pacifica-s

I recently got my first drive in the 2017 Pacifica on location at the Pelican Beach Golf Resort in Newport Beach, California. It may well cross over from soccer moms to soccer dads with its car-like handling and stylist design. The new Pacifica attracted lots of attention and it felt more like driving an SUV than the traditional minivan.

 

More than 17-million Pacifica’s have sold since its inception and the time is right to build a newly upgraded minivan, from the ground up, and on an all-new platform that significantly improves handling, vibration that looks and rides like a luxury vehicle.

chrysler pacifica-9

The new Pacifica has more than 100 safety and security features that come standard, including a 360-degree Surround View camera, ParkSense Parallel/Perpendicular Park Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Hold and Collision avoidance systems.

 

Chrysler Pacifica-3Two engine choices are offered with the all-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica, including the next-generation of the Pentastar V-6 gasoline engine that generates 287 horsepower and averages 28 mpg on the highway. It is paired with a segment-exclusive TorqueFlite nine-speed automatic transmission.

 

The first Hybrid minivan in the industry, the Pacifica Hybrid includes an electric 16-kWh lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery that delivers an average 30 miles on electric power and has an MPGe rating of 80 miles per gallon, based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards.

Chrysler Pacifica-5

An innovative pivotal technology sits behind the all-new Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, which consist of an electrically variable transmission (EVT). The device features two electric motors, both capable of driving the vehicle’s wheels.

 

The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica has a traditional seven-seat capacity (an eight-seat seating configuration is a $495 option), dual-sliding side doors, and the popular Stow-N-Go folding seats. Fortunately, the second row seems more comfortable than the overly low and tilted setup of the previous model. Of course, Chrysler claims the Pacifica has the largest interior volume in the segment and is capable of hauling 4×8-foot sheets of plywood.

 

It will take several articles to review the many features in the new Pacifica’s array of comfort and convenience technologies, including a Stow ‘n Vac integrated vacuum, tri-pane panoramic sunroof, handsfree sliding doors and lift-gate.


The Pacifica has a standard seven-seat capacity, which can be stowed into the floor or easily removed to create space or reduce weight. For another $495, an optional eight seats are available.

 

The base Pacifica LX starts at $28,595 and the top-of-the-line Limited tops out at $42,595. The Pacifica Touring L starts at $34,495 and offers creative and colorful leather interior and seating, power lift-gate, and some leading edge active safety features.

Randi PeytonRandi Payton is Founder at Decisive Media, Washington D.C. Metro Area.

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