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Two of the main stories in this month’s issue relate to the future and to education. The Tiger Woods Learning Center officially opened its doors last month and Southland Golf was on hand, along with hundreds of community members and not-able names, to hear a proud Tiger Woods positively gush about the effects this high-tech, one-of-a-kind learning center will have on Orange County children who don’t have access to such facilities in their classrooms. Like thousands of Southland residents, we grew up playing on Dad Miller Golf Course, which is located directly next to the learning center. We were raised in neighboring Buena Park so we know the area of central Anaheim very well. It looks a lot different these days. It’s far more ethnically diverse these days and many of its families don’t have the means to send their kids to college. So we are overjoyed that Tiger Woods decided to plant the first of what we hope will be many learning centers across the world in the soil of Anaheim. It’s a great example of giving back to your community. Education, in a way, also factors in to our cover story that profiles Anna Rawson, a USC graduate and one of the freshest, brightest faces in women’s professional golf. Along with Rawson, four other talented golfers are profiled: Temecula’s Sydnee Michaels, UCLA’s Charlotte Mayorkas, Glendale native Nicole Castrale, and Torrance High School senior Angela Park. All five shined in junior and high school golf and all but one used golf as a way to attend a prestigious university. Rawson and Castrale graduated from USC and Mayorkas graduates from UCLA soon. Michaels will begin attending UCLA in the fall. Only Park, who plans on turning professional and playing on the Duramed Futures Tour, will not take advantage of the education that a golfer with great talent and good grades can grasp. Park is one of the key players on an incredible high school girls golf team. And, while she is entitled to do whatever she wants with her life, we can see why some people question whether her decision to go directly into playing professional golf is the best option for a 17-year-old. USC head golf coach Andrea Gaston, who recruited Park heavily told us that while Park, like all the women in our issue, is incredibly talented, there is still a huge difference between golf at the high school level and golf at the college level. That leap is even further magnified at the professional level. Couple that with being in your late teens and still mostly unprepared for everything from having a checking account to traveling across the country or the world, and you can understand why those golfers who have the chance to attend a university or college — for even two years — should seriously consider it. At least opportunities like the Futures Tour exist to give young golfers a chance to transition from high school or college into professional golf. The game of golf has grown considerably in recent years in terms of the amount of money someone can make playing it. But, for the vast majority of us, it is still just a game. And while someone can certainly learn life lessons by being around the game, we all should remind ourselves that it’s just a part of life, one that helps round us out as individuals. It should never be our entire life, and the one thing that solely defines us. |
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