The Oak Gift

The giant oak begins its life as an acorn.

A gift at this level will help provide a young golf athlete with essential equipment, balls, apparel, gloves, shoes, and basic supplies at the academic center. Please donate now to begin to make a difference.

The Ben Hogan Gift

Ben Hogan had a burning passion to play on the PGA Tour or, as they called it, the traveling golf tour. He wouldn’t give lessons unless he was paid $500 or more! Hogan’s reasoning — it would take away from practice time, which would reduce income he could make by $500 for every hour he wasn’t practicing!

The Gene Sarazen Gift

Gene Sarazen came from humble beginnings. Through hard work and assistance from friends, he became one of the greatest golfers in the world! Sarazen did not attend college but was given an honorary degree from Sienna College in New York for his continued quest to learn and design golf clubs.

The Byron Nelson Gift

Byron Nelson is known as one of the greatest ball strikers of all time with the sweetest swing, winning an amazing 11 titles in a row on the PGA Tour! A humble man who had a dream, it wasn’t just about golf; when Nelson left home with $2,000 to his name, he dreamt of a full working ranch in Texas near his childhood home. He estimated that he could live off the $2,000 for almost a year while traveling the country playing golf. Nelson never imagined he would end up making a living, and then some, enabling him to retire from the PGA Tour at the young age of 34, citing he had made what he needed for his ranch.

The Sam Snead Gift

Sam Snead had to start making a living at the very young age of seven, caddying at The Homestead in West Virginia. When he was 19, Snead went on to work as an assistant professional and two short years later turned professional. He quickly gained the respect of all the touring professionals of his era by winning his first tournament as a professional and earning $10,000! This was all he needed to gain confidence. Snead went on to become the all-time leader in tournament victories on the PGA Tour with 82.

The Gary Player Gift

Gary Player, the Black Knight from South Africa, exemplifies attitude equals altitude, ever positive and energized. Player grew up on a farm in South Africa where his father worked in the gold mines and his mother passed away at an early age. He was introduced to the game at 14 years old through his caddy job, which he took to earn money. Player vowed the day he received his first set of clubs that he would some day be the best golfer in the world. He went on to win over 160 events worldwide, nine major championships, and is known as a top three golfer of all time!

The Bobby Jones Gift

Bobby Jones is considered to be the greatest amateur to have ever played the game of golf. He was the first American to win what was considered the Grand Slam (Open Championship, Amateur Championship, US Open Championship, US Amateur Championship) and one of the few to ever hold all major trophies at one time! Jones was not only a great golfer but a scholar who went on to become an attorney. He was co-creator of the Masters Tournament and a founder and designer of Augusta National. Jones believed that if you were going to be good at something, you need to put an enormous amount of time and energy into it. He retired young from competitive golf to focus on his work as an attorney as well as his family. Jones is in the Hall of Fame at the Georgia Tech University of Engineering, the Golf Hall of Fame, and the R&A Golf Hall of Fame.

The Jack Nicklaus Gift

Jack Nicklaus is arguably the greatest golfer of all time, with 18 major championships, 19 major runner-up places, and 9 third-place finishes in a span of 25 years! Nicklaus was a three-sport athlete who chose to play golf for a living as he felt it was the best sport for his personality. He could focus on one thing and be great at it – goal accomplished! Nicklaus, for all his triumphs on the course, has said that one of his greatest achievements was his ability to give back to the communities that had helped him by ensuring that he could make an impact on a young person’s life. Nicklaus is in the Golf Hall of Fame, the R&A Golf Hall of Fame, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, and the Ohio University Hall of Fame, as well as being a Global Ambassador of the Olympic Games. He knows the power of tenacity and drive, the will to learn more, and the desire to be better each day!