Tee Divas & Tee Dudes Golf Club (TDTD) celebrated the high school graduation of its junior members on July 26 at Chester Washington Golf Course (CWGC), located at 1818 Charlie Sifford Dr. in the West Athens community. CWGC is named after Chester L. Washington, Jr., a prominent African American newspaper publisher and the first Black employee at the LA Mirror News. Washington later owned and operated Central News-Wave Publications, which included over a dozen newspapers. He also served as an editor for the L.A. Sentinel, the city’s largest Black-owned weekly newspaper.
The graduating juniors have earned scholarships to further their education, with many continuing to play golf at the collegiate level. “We appreciate the L.A. Sentinel for highlighting our extraordinary young people,” said Jenny Bethune, chair of the TDTD Juniors Program.
pose with certificates.
“We had 9 junior golfers graduate from our program and all are headed to college — but the main point is 7 received scholarships and will be playing on a college golf team in the fall.,” said Bethune. The 7 scholarship recipients included:
(2) Southern University – Isaiah Gold / Salma Ibrahim
(1) Prairie View A&M – Madison Williams
(1) University Maryland Eastern Shores – Arihanna Esparza
(1) CSU Dominguez Hills (Calif) – Dontya Bell
(1) Vanguard University (Calif) – Sehlai Purcell
(1) King University (Tennesse) – Carolina Calzada
The TDTD Junior Golf Program is working to develop Junior golfers that are interested in playing competitive golf in college, especially at our HBCU schools.
“Our program includes 36 juniors, ranging in age from five to 18. For these young people, we are like their aunts and uncles, providing a vital support system for those raised by single parents, divorcées, or grandparents. We’ve become that support for many of our kids. And we’re not alone. Our partners at SCGA, APGA, and SCPGA bring their resources to our program, offering our kids access to incredible opportunities, like Steph Curry’s Underrated Junior Golf Tour. They’ve recruited four of our graduates because they know our kids work hard and deserve these chances,” Bethune added.
The Juniors Program works closely with parents, providing connections to scholarship information, training equipment, and other resources to help their children succeed. “Many of our parents are first-generation golfers,” Bethune continued. “We help them navigate the program so their kids can become skilled golfers, use the resources available, and earn scholarships for college.”
TDTD’s program offers comprehensive support for junior golfers, including training referrals, college preparatory workshops, and public speaking skill development.
“[The Program] is a great place to be with golfers who look like me and share similar experiences,” said Monique Thomas, a Southern California Golf Association scholar. “Even though I’m not playing golf for San Diego State University, I was awarded $4,000 yearly.”
“My great-grandfather introduced me to golf, and it’s changed my life,” said Dontya Bell. “Golf has allowed me to travel, meet great people, and form lifelong friendships. I recently received a $20,000 golf scholarship to play at Cal State Dominguez Hills. That’s what golf has done for me.”
“[The Program] has given me opportunities to play in tournaments and meet new people,” said Arihanna Esparza, who received a full-ride scholarship to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. “You don’t see many people of color in golf, so the transition from playing softball to golf has paid off.”
TDTD partners with organizations like the Southern California Golf Association, the Professional Golfers Association of America, the Southern California Professional Golf Association, the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA), among others.
For more information, visit Tee Divas & Tee Dudes Juniors.
