Hello Faithful Reader,
I hope this month's edition of the Black Birdseye View has found you well and in good spirits. It has been a while since I introduced you to an N.C. Pioneer. I've been slacking on my duties. It is my pleasure to introduce you to an individual who is making a difference in the N.C. area.
Darryel Washington brings something to our youth that they might never be introduced to. I'm 53 and have never been on a golf course or played golf. I asked Washington to tell me how Front & Back 9 Junior Golf Academy manifested itself into being.
"I got into finances 15 years ago. One of my mentors at the time was a golfer. He invited me to play with him. My main thing was to beat him. I didn't know much about the game.
Most people of color associate golf with Tiger Woods. Black pioneer golfers before him played in the PGA and other tournaments worldwide, like Althea Gibson. She played golf and tennis. There were pioneers before Tiger Woods ever stepped on the green.
When my mentor introduced the game to me, I took it seriously. I took lessons to study the game just like I would study anything else. I got better and better at it. Golf is universal. It doesn't matter what color you are. Any kid of any age can play golf. We have fun with the game, but it teaches much about life. Golf is like life…Whether you hit a good or bad shot, you must go on to the next shot. If you have a bad shot, you learn from it. You concentrate on the goal....get the ball in the hole. You take shot after shot to achieve that goal. You keep going. I wanted to give that same skill and mindset to kids who looked like me.
My head is loud when I hit the ball, as quiet as the crowd may be. So many things are running through my mind. If you talk to any other golfer, it's probably the same thing for them. That's why people are quiet while the golfer is approaching the ball or about to strike the ball. So much is going on inside that golfer's head. "Am I going to cut the ball? Am I going to slice it? Is the wind going from right to left? Do I want to come inside the ball?" People watching would never know. For me, golf is anything but quiet. Calculations happen in my head before I even think about hitting the ball. Even after I hit the ball...I'm thinking.
When playing golf, I am not competing against the person I am paired up with. I compete against the golf course to get that ball in that hole each time. I play within my strengths and weaknesses. I can't compare myself to the next golfer. I compare myself to myself and understand that I must be clear, keen, and focused because any wrong movement….and the ball may not go where I want it to go. That's where mental capacity comes in because sometimes you can get sidetracked and lose focus. Once you lose focus, then you're out of it. As we teach the game, we instill core values as we go.
Golf is a challenge like any other sport. Like tennis, you must hit the ball correctly in the right spot with the racket. In baseball, you must hit the sweet spot. With basketball, you have that follow-through…just like golf, you must have hand-eye coordination. The hardest thing about golf is hitting the ball. You must practice, and just like anything else, practice is key.
I grew up exposed to traditional sports like baseball, basketball, and football. I was never introduced to golf, so when I saw it on tv, I couldn't get into it mainly because, at the time, I thought it was slow and boring. Now, as a grown man, I understand the importance of golf and its relationship to core values.
We started Front & Back 9 Junior Golf Academy in 2018 for kids ages 6-18. In the beginning, we trained 12 kids. Front & Back 9 Junior Golf Academy has trained 400+ people in the Raleigh Triangle area."
-Darryel Washington
· Founder and Executive Director of Front and Back 9 Junior Golf Academy, a 501(c)(3) non-profit community enhancement organization that aims to introduce minority youth to golf. The golf academy provides lessons in group format or one-on-one as part of after-school programs and partners with local agencies that use golf as a part of therapy. The golf academy incorporates core values and promotes leadership, entrepreneurship, and physical and mental wellness.
· Director of the Under Armour "Junior Golf Tour" in N.C. The Junior Tour is powered by Under Armour, a National Youth Golf League for boys and girls ages 6-18 of all skill levels.
· Head golf coach for Hillside High School in Durham, N.C.
· Certified coach for U.S. Kids Golf and PGA Jr. League
· Actor/Entrepreneur/Financial Consultant/Marketing Advertising Consultant.
· Partners with SE Raleigh YMCA, “Club Roar” afterschool program
Until next time,
Always,
Robin
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