Combine STEM concepts with character education and role models, and the results, Deborah Davis says, are golf. That’s the recipe she uses with the young women in her Inspiring Greatness in You, a Conyers-based program she launched five years ago.
“The idea was to teach STEM through golf,” said Davis, who turned golf pro in 1997 and played for four years on the LPGA Futures Tour. “Our girls learn everything they need to know about the science of golf, but we’re not pushing them to be professional golfers. "
Davis admits she is motivated to inspire interest in the game among younger players, but the primary aim is to promote non-traditional careers and entrepreneurship.
“There are so many opportunities to learn STEM in golf, and that can open doors for girls to become course architects or superintendents, and to get scholarships,” she stated. “In fact, I started this initially because I saw golf scholarships going unused when programs couldn’t find female golfers.”
What started with 10 participants has grown to 24, ranging in ages from 7 to 16. Davis recruits high-achieving students from area schools to be part of competitions and events. Three days a week, girls are working on the athletic side of the game at the Cherokee Run Golf Club, but the lessons extend well beyond chipping, putting and driving.
“We’ve been to Tennessee to learn about blends of grass,” said Davis. “We had a Zoom call with female engineers from Titleist to explain why a golf ball has dimples. We talked to a ball fitting expert from Bridgestone. It’s all about the science behind the game.”
A recent outing to the PXG store in Buckhead gave the golfers an inside look at the calculations around fitting clubs.
“They saw how we apply science, math and technology to golf,” said PXG assistant manager Kate Jensen. “They also met women who work on our clubs and me in a management position. That’s very encouraging.”
Victoria Bernard, a sophomore on the golf team at Rockdale High, has been part of the program for four years and said the experience has made a significant impact.
“It’s made me more disciplined because it’s all about honesty; there are no referees,” she said. “I’ve also learned lessons for school, like having to calculate yards, factoring in the wind and understanding how the ball will roll on the grass – things I didn’t think about when I started. It’s also got me thinking about scholarships for college.”
Davis said the program also provides skills that will last long after the players retire their clubs. “Golf is such an individual sport; when they’re out on the course, it’s just them and their equipment. And that teaches a lot of life lessons as well.”
Information on Inspiring Greatness in You is online at inspiringgreatnessinyou.org.
SEND US YOUR STORIES. Each week we look at programs, projects and successful endeavors at area schools, from pre-K to grad school. To suggest a story, contact H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or 770-744-3042.
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