KemperSports partnership with CPS will bring golf program to Gwendolyn Brooks, Hyde Park high schools for first time in 20 years
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Local golf management company KemperSports is partnering with Chicago Public Schools to teach some students the game of golf and give them an opportunity to play by funding boys and girls golf teams at Gwendolyn Brooks and Hyde Park high schools.
It will be the first-ever golf program in Hyde Park and resumes at Brooks for the first time in 20 years.
The students are excited to play and hoping to change the narrative about who is teeing off on the course.
"Too many people equate golf with 'oh, that's not Black people stuff' and we should be doing basketball and stuff, and I feel like we need to stop that. If we want to have equality, we need to start treating everything the same. There is no race to a game. I know a lot of people who wanted to do it but didn't because they were like 'oh, you have to have a lot of money to be able to do golf'. It is so nice that they're giving us this stuff," said freshman Layla Howard of Gwendolyn Brooks High school.
Roger Steele is an advocate for diversifying golf and says the game brings people together from various backgrounds.
"Just doing everything in my power to make sure the kids know about golf. That they give golf a chance and ultimately that they grow to love the game," he said.
Steel says teaching the game is important to him as he's never seen people come together and connect so quickly.
"It's unparallel really, as far as the way it helps us navigate the world," Steele said. "The way it connects different people from different ages, social-economical backgrounds, you know, geographies. I've never encountered anything that allows people to come together from any different walk of life and bond the way that they have, and do it this quickly other than the game of golf."
Hyde Park Junior Zell Wilson says it's important to be part of the first golf team in Hyde Park as it's going to be history in the making.
"I place in individual at the moment, but now that we're starting to expand our resources, and expand golf in general at that school, it's going to be a lot and it's going to be history in the making," she said.
The students will be well outfitted for three tee times. Callaway has stepped up to provide equipment for the teams.