7/10/2006
 
Local group plans golf outing for E. Ramapo kids
 
Enrichment program aims to show children what sport offers
 
Suzan Clarke
The Journal News
 
About 15 years ago, Dennis McGloster decided to try his hand at golf.
 
³I thought it was the most boring thing I¹d ever seen,² he said, describing
his outlook before he took a community college course. Now, he sings a
different tune.
 
³I got it bad,² the Hillcrest man said of his appreciation of the sport. ³I
don¹t even go anywhere on vacation if I can¹t play golf.²
 
McGloster will introduce others to golf Aug. 5, when Naomi¹s Program of
Excellence holds a golf outing.
 
Naomi¹s Program of Excellence is a family-based program designed to provide
cultural, educational, academic and spiritual enrichment to children who
live in and around east Ramapo. It was named for the daughter of
organization president and founder Jacqueline Cherry. Naomi Cherry died at
the age of 2 from a bone disorder.
 
Because it is an enrichment program, it was fitting that golf be selected as
a focus, McGloster, a member, said.
 
He hit upon the idea last year, the first year the event was held.
 
Pat Hurlock, another NPE member, said the outing would be valuable.
 
³The purpose is to expose our children to something that they traditionally
just don¹t get exposure to, and we all know that many of the business deals
of corporate America are made on the golf course, and so we just want our
children to be exposed to it,² she said.
 
³I think this is a nontraditional sport for, in general, African-Americans,
and I think it¹s also an expensive sport, and I think that¹s why many of us
are not involved,² Hurlock said. ³I think now more people are interested
because of Tiger Woods. Again, it costs money, and that can be a barrier for
some people.²
 
But golf may also be the vehicle for students of color to succeed, McGloster
said. Golf scholarships for higher study were available and waiting to be
used by young golfers.
 
³You¹d be amazed how many scholarships are available for blacks to play
golf. It¹s amazing that it¹s not known, but it¹s one of those things, that
if you¹re not in it, you wouldn¹t know,² he said. ³My daughter¹s gotten into
it and I couldn¹t be happier.²
 
He hopes the duffers become enamored of the sport.
 
³We¹re not here to tell anybody that they need to be a professional
anything; we just want them to know that they can do anything that they want
to,² he said, adding that a knowledge of golf has been advantageous to him
professionally. For example, for prospective clients, ³I can get their
attention quicker if I say ?hey, let¹s play a round of golf,¹ ² he said.
 
³It¹s a great sport, it really is,² he said. ³And it¹s hard. It looks easy
but it¹s difficult.²
 
Six children signed up for the outing last year. This year, more than 20
children and their parents have signed up for lessons at Spook Rock Golf
Course in Ramapo.
 
³I¹m hoping it¹s something that catches on, because I think it¹s a big
deal,² McGloster said.
 
Reach Suzan Clarke at snclarke@lohud.com or 845-578-2414.