Young Atlanta Golfers With BIG Games and BRIGHT Futures

Next on the tee out of Atlanta, Georgia: The Future.

Roger Steele and Jenae Jenkins join a group of First Tee of Atlanta golfers who are setting a higher standard on and off the course everyday. Let’s meet the crew, presented by Accenture.

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I mean I remember when I came to my first first T Metro Atlanta event I had never seen that many black kids on a golf course in my whole I’m like man what the hell is going on y’all know this golf right we not who it’s not but

I just think that what y’all have created down here is just it’s Inspiral When I think about Black Culture first city that I think of is Atlanta experience has shown us if you you take a step in a certain direction if it’s popping it’s going to pop when you think about entrepreneurship when you think about Innovation you know Nobody Does it

I feel like Atlanta does it it’s just like a a revolutionary way that kids are starting to learn because they’re getting it through more interactive me you know these kids are learning now that this is going to be the way their future as that pertains to the golf

Industry you know you would expect nothing less right it’s going to be the same thing y’all are really over here making history every day that y’all continue to compete I just think that there’s a huge opportunity down here to not just you know reflect on where golf

Has been but for us to make decisions real time about where could go creating an environment where you want to go with your friends to hang out where you want to bring your kids your family the whole nine this is the game that represents life the closest I can do everything

Right and then hit the flag go in the bunker come on they see me hitting the ball like that though they might adop before for somebody that’s never encountered the first two before how would y’all describe the first te I say it’s a youth developmental organization that uses golf to like bring kids

Together and get them access to things that they probably wouldn’t have before and it’s more than just golf it’s more about how you become a better person and golf also plays a part in how you become a better person so going to be pretty successful this lifetime good ball good shot the thing

About it that really makes our chapter special we are 83% african-amer when you think about it within the golf space it’s a Rarity right so as we sit here a lot of times our kids don’t even recognize it cuz this is all they know that being the

Case I mean it’s it’s it’s incredibly easy for somebody like accenta to see this chapter this program and how you’re running it and wanting to invest dollars into that but what does it mean to you to actually have them support from a community aspect the idea of having a

Corporate partner who puts their money where their mouth is is huge next on the te we have Mitchell and I’m going to use Joshua as example last year he was selected as one of our hope t- hot winners so he got to hit the first t-

Shot off the tea at eake but more importantly got a $5,000 scholarship um that enture is sponsoring um so again they believe in him as an individual enough to say he $5,000 for your education so Josh man how was that experience for you I mean it was amazing

I got to meet a lot of cool people uh lot of celebrities a lot of pro golfers like Rory and and to be able to be on live of television and all the favorite news networks and have my parents see me on TV and also a $5,000 scholarship it

Was really the best experience in my life and uh I just grateful for the first te for letting me do [Applause] it [Applause] as far as and the Atlanta black golf experience has it been a noticeable change and and how the game is received and how it’s played and you know how

It’s engaged with the attraction of of more black people getting into the game has definitely taken over here and I think that’s why you see so much of it different age groups and you have different wager groups like you know where you’re money game is there’s money games in Atlanta Monday through Sunday

And you can get a phone call bro and pull up and either you’re going to you’re going to win you’re going to play somebody for five five and five or you going out to play $100 as side and you just got to know which crew you’re dealing with you have highly competitive

Golfers you have highly competitive Junior golfers you have someone like me who I’m a I’m a highly competitive recreational golfer but there’s a pocket that welcomes me just as I am we T we’re T all day I’m all right with that cold switching is a real thing like I used to

Have to keep all my Jordans and my my jeans and my hoodies in in the cutless and change and put the the Dockers and the polo shirt on and now now now I don’t have to do that and so you can be authentic when I meet people that look

Like me and um have like similar backgrounds as me you get along with them so much more and you feel like like seen like you feel like um like you feel like like you like there is a place for you in such a big such a complicated game oh Lord that was

Beautiful that was beautiful right there oo that leaf that Lea oh man and this is the championship of our closest to the pen I love where it’s going it gives it gives kids the opportunity to be themselves and not be more of an outcast because they are

Playing what is considered a white sport that’s crazy bro don’t be scared that’s crazy uhuh don’t be be scared so look I got I got something that I’ve really been meaning to ask you all though I mean I don’t know if you all understand how big it is to be young

Black and talented in the game of golf I mean y’all are really over here making history every day that y’all continue to compete the things that y’all have achieved you know the things that you’re about to do in the near future do y’all understand how big that is or does it

Just seem like it’s normal to y’all it’s like it’s normal it seemed normal Every Day Life another day for us cuz we’re surrounded by people that look like us like we feel like it’s normal but then once you leave this environment then you’re like oh wait a minute this

Is not normal the beautiful thing that I learned when I started getting into golf up here is golf here in Atlanta is representative of Atlanta so I’m used to going to a pro shop and seeing a professional that’s working behind the desk that’s black I’m used to going to a

Golf course and not being the only black guy out there I’m used to going to a driver range knowing I’m not the only one out there and just seeing that as a newcomer that was all I needed like oh okay I do belong out here I can figure

This thing really out here okay to think that this is normal because of the fact that you’re surrounded by people that look like you I guess that’s really the goal right to have so many people that are achieving at a high Lev through the game and around the game that nothing

Seems out of the this is like a case study like it’s unprecedented the way that y’all reach black and brown Tre it’s inspiring it’s inspiring but to y’all does that add any pressure to the things that y’all accomplish and knowing that y’all in rare a we know we have more eyes on

Us what’s that message that you would say now that you got all these eyeballs on you well I’d probably say just really follow your dream honestly and if it’s golf work on the things that you’re not good at don’t work on the things that you’re good at so I basically just say

Keep practicing that whatever it is yes sir golf is just a metaphor for life I like how she called me sir too made me feel a little old but but I did like the respect I like the respect there’s no other sport that translate to life better than go say it

Again 100% so because of that um I think it’s something where we should really focus on getting more people involved in the game not to say you can be the next Tiger Woods you can be calv P it’s not about that just get involved in it and understand how life translates on the

Golf course and it’s not about dang I did everything right it’s how I respond to it for 18 holes you start something and you finish it no matter what bad bounces you get yeah this you right here no gim I like that you like that right you do

So people in society are taking advantage of our game they are they’re picking up their balls they’re picking up their balls early yes finish the hole finish the hole come on baby come on what about accent man the the support that they’ve given you obviously you know they gave you the scholarship but

They supporting your your first T chapter as a whole what does it mean to have big companies coming in to make sure that golf can stay in communities like this well it just shows the work that first he’s doing it shows how we’re doing our jobs and you know coming to

Class and doing what we need to do and these big companies are noticing what we’re doing and they’re helping us out which is good yeah you can’t get the investment if you not an investment right so kudos to y’all for doing what you’re doing man what’s kind of the

Change that you want to see in the golf landscape how do you want to see the game evolve for black golfers man I we need to own something we need to own a country club with all this money that’s being around the Atlanta area we need to

Own a country club so that we can create those environments right just so people can be comfortable in their skin I think that would be the the biggest thing for me being able to pour directly into young people like this day in day out is great but I’m only one person we think

About building that community and having individuals like yourself having someone like an exenta right when they give us $40,000 a year we get to do great things for our young people good roll so it’s all everybody playing a part some people write checks some people come with their time others are

Listening to our young people all of those things are important for the Next Generation so definitely just wanted to shout you out thank you so very much hope you had a good time thank you guys cuz you guys have no idea how much you inspire me day in day out tell people

All the time I got the best job in the world cuz really I get paid to be the cool Uncle like I get this what I get paid to dool he cool he cool okay Okay