Last Wednesday, the Lake County Community Foundation held a youth golf clinic for academically exemplary middle school and early high school golfers from low-income Lake County communities.
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The occasion was the recent BMW Golf Championship, for which the Foundation served as the Western Golf Association's official community partner.
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The event was designed to bring local teens together with PGA Tour players for golf tips and maybe a few life lessons.
Boy, did they deliver.
Golf pros David Hearn and Jason Kokrak, who were among the 70 world-class players competing in the playoffs for the FedExCup last week, came to this group of students with open hearts and a lot of great advice about what it takes to live your dream.
The kids were there for some helpful tips but I picked up a few of my own.
1) Master the fundamentals and practice them every day.
Teens rarely love hearing this and adults too often overlook such simple advice, but there was David Hearn pressing upon the students that the basics -- good form and dedicated daily practice -- make all the difference in a winning game.
"Tour pros focus on fundamentals," Hearn said.
Jason Kokrak seconded the idea and both pros talked about how much of their game depends on the very foundation of success and achievement: hard work and diligent practice.
2) Don't play favorites or depend too much on a particular strength: be balanced in your preparation.
As clinic moderator and WGN radio personality Steve Cochran kept trying to get the guys to fess up to their favorite type of club, favorite type of shot and preferred wind and weather situations, both Jason Kokrak and David Hearn stuck to their shared belief that you must be strong in all aspects of your work and therefore able to successfully face any circumstances.
About the many different clubs in his golf bag David Hearn said, "I love them all equally because I want them to love me equally, too."
What a great metaphor for life: Strive for balancing all aspects of your strengths and weaknesses.
3) Whistle a happy tune and stay positive.
It is said that golf is a mental game and these pros surely reinforced that notion.
Jason Kokrak delivered a message that teens, especially, need to internalize positive messages to themselves to be successful both in golf and in life:
"You can't approach the ball with negative, self-defeating thoughts. Saying 'I can't do this' or 'I'm not going to make it' isn't going to help you. You have to stay positive and talk to yourself positively," Kokrak said.
David Hearn agreed and told us his secret trick as he prepared to take a shot: "I just relax, clear my mind and think of a happy tune. Nothing too fast, but something I like, that can get me into a positive frame of mind and a good tempo."
Now that I think of it, here's one more lesson:
4) Always be generous and give back to others.
Both David and Jason were extremely generous with their time, giving every single young golfer the opportunity to get an autograph and several pictures, and ask a personal question.
They shared both their passion for the game and their commitment to passing that love onto young people who might not otherwise get to experience the game up-close. And the smiles on the faces of the kids’ parents who attended the clinic, also spoke volumes.
We really thank the Western Golf Association, David Hearn and Jason Kokrak for such a wonderful opportunity for Lake County's young golfers.
Please do read more about events at the BMW Championship here: http://www.lakecountycf.org/news/home under "Press Releases: Golf and Giving in Lake County." We celebrated our work in the community and had the opportunity to honor our donors who make our work possible.
And what work it is -- most people don't know the depth of the needs present in our beautiful county. Please check out our brochure from the event, which provides a snapshot of some sobering realities facing our community and how the Foundation is addressing them. It is available at that same URL as above, where it says "For a PDF of the mini brochure from the event, please click here."
About The Lake County Community Foundation
Since 2003, The Lake County Community Foundation, an affiliate of The Chicago Community Trust, has partnered with donors to leverage and guide their philanthropy to help transform the lives of the most vulnerable people across our county. Together, we have contributed over $2.5 million to 80 nonprofit organizations that support basic human needs, community development, education and health throughout Lake County. By connecting the generosity of donors across Lake County with the most pressing needs of the community, we ensure that our county thrives today and for generations to come.
GROWING PHILANTHROPY, BUILDING COMMUNITY
