(By Brad Myers) WILMINGTON, DE – Earl Cooper looked out at a dozen eager youngsters and said, “What do you guys want to learn today? I’m going to let you run this clinic.”

The students wanted help with driving, chipping and putting. Cooper moved from player to player, dispensing wisdom that can only come from a professional golfer.

He was home again, at Ed Oliver Golf Club. He grew up on West Sixth Street, just a few steps from the green on the sixth hole. But while he allowed his young pupils to dictate the pace during a recent golf clinic, Earl Cooper didn’t make a triumphant return by letting others lead.

Cooper is the first African-American golf professional in the 114-year history of Wilmington Country Club. He is one of three assistants on the staff of head professional Joe Guillebeau.

And Cooper is so much more. A Morehouse College graduate, a published author, a national champion, a motivational speaker, a dreamer. All at the age of 25.

“Now that I’m back home, I want to lead by example,” Cooper said. “I want to be that guy that kids can touch, they can feel, and I can show them, ‘Hey, you can make it.'”

Cooper got his start in golf at the age of 6 through the LPGA Urban Youth Program, now The First Tee of Delaware. Last month, when Golf Channel asked him to be part of a feature on minority PGA professionals, he knew where he wanted to be filmed. Teaching current First Tee students at the course affectionately known as “Porky Oliver.”

“It’s overwhelming,” Cooper said. “I almost get emotional even thinking about it. It means so much to me.

“When I got the call from the Golf Channel and they wanted to see what a day in the life was, this was the first thing that popped up in my mind. I had to incorporate The First Tee in it, because I’m a part of that. That’s me.”

First Tee of Delaware Program Director Charma Bell remembers when Cooper was one of the students, learning from the adults on his home course. Now, he is the teacher.

“I’m just so proud of him,” Bell said. “He’s happy. He’s doing something he loves. If you do something you love, you’re going to be great at what you do.”

A good impression

Guillebeau met Cooper when he was in high school, as A.I. du Pont played its home matches at Wilmington Country Club. He made a positive first impression.

“He was the kind of kid that would come up and shake your hand and say, ‘Thanks for letting us come out and play,'” Guillebeau said. “Not many kids would do that.”

Cooper played golf for three semesters at Wilmington University before transferring to Morehouse, where he helped the Maroon Tigers win the Division II national title in the 2010 PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship.

He graduated in 2011 with a degree in political science. During his senior year, he published a children’s book – “Hello, Maroon Tiger!” – which introduces elementary-age kids to college by following the mascot’s adventures through the Morehouse campus.

“It opens the door,” Cooper said. “Kids don’t even know that they’re learning about college, because they’re just falling in love with the mascot.”

He wrote a second, similar book – “Baby Bison’s First Homecoming” – for Howard University two years ago.

“The big thing was to inspire kids about college at a young age,” Cooper said. “It’s so important that you need to plant the seed of education early. We can’t wait until they’re in high school. We can’t wait until they’re in middle school.”

He was motivated and inspired by his parents, Earl and Katherine, and now he is focused on passing it along. Google “Earl Cooper golf” and you will find his website – www.earldreambig.com.

“It’s a concept that I truly believe in,” Cooper said. “I’m all about inspiring kids and dreaming big. The quote is, ‘Dream big, because dreams do come true.’ I put that in all of my books, and when I’m autographing things.”

Coming home

After graduating from college, Cooper spent three years as an assistant professional at two golf courses. He worked at Detroit Golf Club in Michigan during the warmer months, then spent the rest of the year at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Guillebeau was playing there in a tournament last winter when he saw Cooper. They talked, and when two of Wilmington Country Club’s assistant professionals left for jobs as head professionals, Guillebeau reached out to him this spring.

“He gave me an opportunity to come back home, and I jumped right on it,” Cooper said. “Golf was a vehicle to get me back home.”

The head pro was certain that Cooper would be a valuable addition to his staff.

“He’s got great people skills, which is the most important part of any golf professional’s job,” Guillebeau said. “You’ve got to be able to talk to people who are 50 or 60 years older than you, and you’ve got to be able to talk to kids. He’s got to be able to relate to people on all levels.”

Wilmington is a large country club, with two 18-hole courses and approximately 2,000 members. Cooper has quickly become involved in tournament operations, handicapping, merchandising, club fitting and teaching.

“He’s a part of all of the operation,” Guillebeau said. “We don’t divide it up where one guy runs all of the tournaments, or one guy does merchandising. They do all of that, which is why they become well-rounded and they become good head golf professionals.”

Serving as a mentor

Cooper moved easily from student to student at The First Tee clinic, giving tips that often improved their performance on the next swing. He already knew a couple of the students, including Kaden Kinard, an A.I. du Pont freshman from New Castle.

Kaden caddies at Wilmington Country Club, and Cooper gave him tips before Kaden played in the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament on the club’s South Course in May.

“He’s my mentor,” Kaden said. “… We started talking and he walked me through some things. He helped me prep for the state tournament, helped me know the course better than I did before.”

Cooper said Kaden, who tied for 40th in the two-day tournament, is “following in my footsteps.”

“One of the key things I told him is, ‘Everything I’m doing for you, I expect you to do for someone else,'” Cooper said. “That’s what was instilled in me, and that’s what it’s all about. Giving back, but going forward.”

Tim McGuigan, who recently completed his freshman year on the Mount Pleasant High School golf team, also benefited from Cooper’s advice.

“I learned that the most important part of putting is your speed, not just reading the line and aiming it,” McGuigan said. “Your speed can determine whether you make a putt or not.”

More importantly, like most people who meet Cooper, he came away inspired.

“It kind of shows us a path to get to where he is,” McGuigan said. “It gives us goals.”
Read more at DELAWARE ONLINE

Charlotte NC, June 8, 2015 – Today the Urban League of Central Carolinas (ULCC) makes history by announcing the renaming of the 23 Annual ULCC annual golf tournament after Dr. Charles L. Sifford. This year’s tournament will be held on September 21, 2015 at the beautiful Piper Glen Country Club, in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a Shotgun Start at 7 a.m.

During a time when Charlotte struggles with economic mobility for impoverished people, the historical significance of the 2015 Dr. Charles L. Sifford Golf Tournament is a huge step for the Urban League and this community,” Said ULCC President and CEO Dr. Patrick Graham. “ Sifford’s legacy for breaking barriers in sports marries well with the League’s legacy of economic and social inclusion for all.”

After a decade of attempting to break through racial barriers, Sifford, a native Charlottean, was the first African American to join the PGA Tour in 1961. During his career he had 22 professional wins. In 2004, Sifford became the first African American inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2014. Tiger Woods referred to Sifford as “the Grandpa I never had,” and without Sifford, “I probably wouldn’t be here. My dad would have never have picked up the game. Who knows if the clause would still exist or not? But he broke it down”.

Proceeds from the tournament go directly to support ULCC Youth and Adult Workforce Programs. Last year, ULCC provided over 600 students (grades 3-12) technology and workforce skills training. Adult workforce and entrepreneurial programs served over 2,600 Charlotte residents by providing free national certification courses in HVAC, Fiber Optics/Broadband, Premise Cabling, Customer Service, Microsoft and Entrepreneurship. ULCC program graduates earned $12.1 million in income.

Features Include Tribute to Pioneers Charlie Sifford, Calvin Peete and Pete Brown;
Record Setting Bethune-Cookman University Coach Loritz ‘Scooter’ Libby, PGA
Among those Showcased

What: 29^th PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship Highlight Show
When: July 1 at 7 p.m. ET       July 7 at 3 p.m. ET       July 21 at 2 p.m. ET
Where: Golf Channel
                          
Golf Channel will air the 29^th PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship Highlight Show beginning tomorrow, Wed., July 1 at 7 p.m. ET. Re-airs will occur on Tues., July 7 at 3 p.m. ET and Tues., July 21 at 2 p.m. The show will feature the champions and compelling stories that arose out of the competition, which was recently conducted at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

The Championship featured 220 players representing 50 colleges and universities, 12 countries and two U.S. territories. The Champions highlighted include:

• NCAA Women’s Division I: Bethune Cookman, which won its fourth consecutive title and 12^th overall under the guidance of Head Coach Loritz “Scooter” Clark, PGA, who is featured prominently.
• NCAA Men’s Division I: Alabama State, which captured its first crown
• NCAA Men’s Division II: University of Texas at Brownsville
• Men’s NAIA: Cal State-Dominguez Hills
• Men’s Individual Champion: Branson Ferrier of Alabama State
• Women’s Individual Division Champion: Tiana Jones, of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore PGA Professional Golf Management Program, won for the second-consecutive year.
• Overall Medalists: As the women’s overall medalist, Heather Shake of the University of Houston-Victoria earned an exemption into the Symetra Tour’s Mission Health Wellness Classic with her win. The Men’s overall medalist was Branson Ferrier of Alabama State.

Other special features shown in the 29^th PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship Highlight Show include:

• A Special Tribute to Golf Pioneers Charlie Sifford, PGA; Calvin Peete, PGA;  and Pete Brown, PGA: A special feature honoring the memories of these three trailblazers in golf, who passed away in 2015 will be shown. Peete coached in the Championship previously for Edwin Waters College. His two daughters, Elaine and Ireanna competed in the 2015 Championship just days after their father’s passing.
• Earl Cooper, PGA, one of the featured speakers in the event got his start at the host PGA Golf Club and has gone on to be a PGA Professional at Detroit Golf Club and now at Wilimington Country Club in Delaware. Cooper has written children’s books about his alma mater, Morehouse College in Atlanta.
• Chua Sisters: Cheri, Cheryl, and Grace Chua competed in the Championship for Texas Southern, Hampton University and the University of Delaware, respectively. Seniors Cheri and Cheryl are identical twins, while Grace is a sophomore.
• William White: The 53-year old military veteran is a sophomore at Elizabeth City State University and competed in the Championship as a Conference Champion.

The 13^th annual pioneer golf tournament was held June 26-28, 2015 at the historic Cleearview Golf Course in East Canton, Ohio, where legendary Renee Powell (PGA/LPGA) is owner and Head Golf Professional.   Due to heavy rain on Saturday the tournament was cancelled, but despite that, guests enjoyed a terrific time socializing and getting to know each other better at the Hampton Inn, the host hotel, where the staff provided us with excellent service and comfort.

 
Above, l-r: Gloria and Ellis Mack enjoy lunch at Clearview with Renee Powell center and Ike Smith

Above, l-r: John Stevens with his sister-n-law Valerie Stephens and his brother Charles Stevens with Tournament Director Jessie Brooks (standing).

I heard a comment from a person that played Clearview for the first time; he thought it would be an easy course.  The yardage is 6140 yds from the white tees with a 66.2/104 slope/rating.  The course plays longer than the scorecard says, especially on the back side, because of the hills.  The best part about Clearview is its greens.  They can be fast and hard to read.  Walking on the greens at Clearview is like walking on carpet.  Larry Powell, course superintendent (and Renee’s brother) does a magnificent job of maintaining the course, especially the greens.  Ohio winters can be harsh but Larry always finds a solution to keep the course in pristine shape.  Kodos to you Larry!

A delicious Pioneer Celebration Cake was made by the Foltz Center

Sunday morning was misty and things outdoors improved as time passed.  We enjoyed the one day of golfing.  Lowest scores went to Dana Shoulders for the men and to Cheryl  James for the ladies.  We had players from CA to NC, FL to NY and states in between.  92 players registered from 13 different states.  NY and MI had the most players; OH was not far behind this year.

Thanks go out to everyone who attended and to those who sent money to support the tournament. thank you again for helping spread the word about the Historic Clearview Golf Course.  There’s still several great golfing weeks left up here in Ohio, so come on out and play and support this great course. www.clearview-gc.com.  –Much Love, Jessie Brooks, Tournament Director.

Left: Gail Brooks and Gloria Reynolds