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7/14/2021

Building Phase 2 of Golf From the Heart

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Most of you are probably not familiar with the way this outreach to golfers began and where we are now.

Back in 2017 or so, I was involved in a Christian Leadership Concepts (CLC) fellowship with 10 other men and we had come to the module titled something similar to "Building Your Business" as a Believer in Jesus Christ. As I studied this subject in the curriculum and in the Scriptures, I was convinced of my business idea, "To give the Gospel through the game of golf and to build community on the web and at the golf courses for fellowship, golf and discipleship."

I built the website over a few days as I had experience constructing websites, but, wasn't a true web developer who fully understood the construction, navigation and "back end" parts of an effective web site for business.

Also, I had some experience with business development as I was an advisor in small business development with the Small Business Development Center in Rutherford County, TN and through this experience decided to launch my Golf From the Heart (GFtH) business as an L3C. Now you can click here for information on an L3C, but, suffice it to say it is a declared Low-Profit company with a philanthropic bent toward religious sports and recreation as it's core identity.

Additionally, I had developed a close relationship with Wally Armstrong, a renowned PGA Tour Player, author and entrepreneur who had shared the idea of introducing the Gospel to every golfer and, especially, an idea to assist PGA Golf Pro's with discipleship training which he called ProLinks.

Next, I had experienced a Game Day Fellowship of Christian Athletes experience at the Waste Management Open around that same time and began to see how we might develop a Christian Golf Community in Phoenix and anywhere in the world through the www.golffrontheheart.golf website and community.

In January of 2019 I met Kent Chase at a PGA Golf Pro discipleship event and he introduced me to Tom Loegering, the owner of the Sun City Country Club and the President of the Board of Golf Program in Schools (GPS). Tom had implemented his model for introducing middle-schoolers within his community to the game of golf and his intent was to also introduce them to God. I volunteered to assist with Golf Program in Schools (GPS) and did engage by assisting in writing their business plan and helping to implement the Godly outreach portion of the program. I could see the possibilities of assisting GPS which could lead to implementing the Christian Golf Community idea within Phoenix as well as the opportunity to build relationships with PGA of America golf instructors in the community to, possibly, develop a ProLinks type fellowship.

It was not until mid-2020 that the entire vision began to take shape and it has been truly amazing how the Lord has blessed us with people, resources and gumption to get Golf Program in Schools to the next level.

This is where the Phase 2 of GFtH comes in; GFtH was challenged to implement the business plan due to funds, people and clear guidance from the Lord. The development of GPS afforded us the opportunity to raise a donation for the work needed for GPS and from that GFtH received a stipend. This allowed us to implement the first task which was to shore up our website and brand while determining a social media marketing plan to build our communities.

We engaged with M is Good, a social media marketing company that assisted greatly with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (Ice Hockey) program. We have spent several months now walking the G7 process through Dave Jones, the President of M is Good. Dave was instrumental in helping us focus on the key demographic to reach out to. We decided to fashion our program toward the Parents of Junior Golfers and their young golfers and we decided to focus our campaign in the Phoenix, AZ area as we are working closely with GPS there and can draw parents and their junior golfers to our programs at Sun City CC in Peoria, AZ and Shalimar GC in Tempe.

So were on our way and we are excited about the Lord's answering our prayers for our first Christian Golf Community in Phoenix, AZ.

Stay tuned.....

Bill

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5/27/2021

Raising your child to greatness

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I hope you won't mind if we speak with you about raising your child to greatness.

Not just great golfers, but, great people.

I, personally, have a bit of experience in this area as my wife and I have five adult children and 11, yup, 11 grandchildren from 2 years to 19.

I hope you recognize that as a bit of experience.

I was raised in a very good home. My dad was strict and now, at the age of 69, I recognize his style was 'of the day' and, probably, most of what I needed to keep me from becoming a total degenerate. However, I strayed from the disciplined path starting at the age of 16. The majority of adults I know have experienced a similar rejection of parental authority in their teenage years or heading off to college.

Seems kinda natural to me.

We all have the freedom to live our lives the way we want to

But, was it necessary and healthy?

We all have the freedom to live our lives the way we want to and so do our children; once they've left the nest, normally. There is much conjecture about child rearing these days and it seems that most philosophies may not be doing the job.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is found in Psalms 119 verse 9; "How can a young man keep his way pure?" The answer follows right after; "By guarding it (his way) according to your word."

I became a Believer in Jesus Christ when I was 28 years old. It was an inspiration of some sort that led me to begin reading the Bible on December 26th, 1980 and after reading for a couple of months, the first two and a half books of the New Testament; Matthew, Mark & Luke I said to myself; "You know, if three guys in three different styles at three different times wrote similar stories about this guy, Jesus, I think I could believe this Jesus may be who he said he is." I noticed a difference in my life shortly after as, I understand now, God made Himself more evident to me in my daily life.

Why you ask?

Faith in Him!!

How did this happen? Firstly, I was reading the Bible each day (his word) and learning how to pray even though the first many prayers were very infantile, but, I was learning. His word was transforming me from inside, Romans 12 verse 2 says;

"Do not be conformed to this world, but, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

Over time, I became aware and convicted about alot of things I had done and who I had been throughout my early life. As I learned more and more about being a follower of Jesus Christ, the flawed character I had and exhibited all those years began to peal away and my life became transformed into the man He meant me to be from the beginning when He created me.

My view of life has completely changed from that of a 28 year old selfish knuckle head (as my Dad would say).

Do I believe all of us need to have an encounter with God through Jesus Christ and the knowledge of Who He is? Yes!!!! A thousand times yes. I'm not talking about going to church or being a Christian. I'm presenting the Kingdom of God on this earth, as Jesus said, right now, by a belief and subjection of our lives to growing in the knowledge of Who Jesus Christ is.

Try it, you'll, hopefully, see that He is the only way.

When I say, "Try it" what do I mean?

Personally go to www.biblegateway.com and go to the book of John (click on John). Read this as an adult and if still intrigued, go back and read the book of Mark (click on Mark). If you don't catch a glimpse of Who Jesus Christ is, continue to read Luke and Matthew, then into Acts and Romans. I use the New International version of the Bible, but, there are many more, one of which may be easier for you to understand. You can find the various translations on the BibleGateway site, just hit the drop-down and select a different translation. (see the graphic below)

If you already are a Christ Follower, I pray you are teaching your kids by engaging with them as they read the word of God, the Bible; helping them to 'get it' as well.

This will build your kids to become Great people.

Golf instruction, practice and competition will build your child into a great golfer which is terrific, but, becoming a Godly kid and adult is much more important.

Check it out and send me an email on your experiences and thoughts.

Bill Poirier (Click to send an email)

Just so you'll know, we have a mentoring program for adults and kids who want to know Jesus Christ in a more intimate way. Let us know in the email.

Next blog post...

Bless you.

Bill

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5/24/2021

Golf Program in Schools; New Life for Golfers

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We have a passion for this game, golf, don't we?

We don't need to dig deeply into the game, what it has accomplished across the world for good. From the smallest child engaging with a Wally Armstrong "Air Golf Flyer" to a 90 year old man shooting his age for the umpteenth time this game strikes us to our souls. It so imitates life, doesn't it?

For me, the grip is the Word of God, the Bible.

Golfers ARE a people group & are ripe for the harvest.

The Lord has called us to "Go" into all the world & make Disciples & He is with us, even to the end of the age.

Why are we not using our passion for golf, His power & our call from our Lord to engage with this people group for evangelism & Discipleship with the same fervor we reach out to the lost?

We can reach out to the lost & grow the game right here in every community where we are establishing our programs and Golf Programs in School (GPS). Let's prove the model right here & export it throughout the world.

Golf Program in Schools (GPS), 501C3 has set the stage for this movement of golf's people to evangelize, disciple & grow the game.

Tom Loegering prepared his golf course. He has equipped his Sun City Country Club with what is needed as a training ground for young golfers & a field ripe for the harvest. He has established a Board of willing Believers with hearts for the lost & engaging them in Discipleship training. He has introduced over 30,500 middle-school kids to the game inside their school gymnasium and has invited them to free golf at his course until they graduate from high school. He has invitations from most middle-schools within his area to continue teaching the game inside the gymnasiums. Every middle-schooler will be introduced to the game.

GPS is established in Phoenix and Tempe & a few other locations. Contact us to engage. We want all those of you who want to join GPS to engage with us Here!

bill@golffromtheheart.golf or 774-212-2265

At the course Tom has invited every middle-school student to free follow-on training at the GPS Academy, then free golf until the student graduates from high school. The golf instruction at the golf course is Scripturally based. What does that mean? Well, taking a page from Kent Chase & George Sealy''s book, "Jesus is My Mulligan";

Life is exactly like Golf in that the correct fundamentals must be in place for a person to be successful. People need an excellent grip in their life. For me, the grip is the Word of God, the Bible. The word of God has continued to survive unchanged through centuries as scholars, religious leaders, and common, ordinary people have continued to successfully apply the principles therein. It has staying power. The important thing is that you accept the word of God as a starting point.

The Bible is your starting point and it is the most important fundamental in your life. It is the word of God, and it will continue to support you. Once you incorporate the word of God in your life than all things are possible. The other fundamental elements of alignment and posture will powerfully propel you to the greater things. However the grip is the starting point. In Joshua 1:8 we read; "keep this book of the law always on your lips. Meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you'll be prosperous and successful."

The way you hold your Club, your grip, is the number one principle and fundamental of golf. The answer is to commit to change and to a teacher with knowledge to set it correctly. In Proverbs 3 verse 13 it states, "blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.

(Kent says) My Life script is the word of God. It is your grip as well. It is the most important fundamental in life.

Tom and GPS are using this approach to golf instruction and life engagement at the golf course. This is what GPS stands for;

Golf Program in Schools

God's Plan for Students

Grip Posture Stance

New Life for those who believe.

Thank you;

Bill Poirier
President, Golf From the Heart (GFtH), L3C
www.golffromtheheart.golf
Member of the Board of Directors, Golf Program in Schools, 501C3
774-212-2265

"In Christ the Eternal Son, A. W. Tozer defined "accepting Christ" as having "an attachment to the person of Christ that is revolutionary, complete, and exclusive." He explained that this "attachment" is "revolutionary in that it reverses the life and transforms it completely. It is an attachment to the person of Christ. It is complete in that it leaves no part of the life unaffected. It exempts no area of the life of the total man."

How attached to Jesus are you today?

Here's our next blog for getting our kids into golf.

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5/21/2021

When do I get My Junior Golfer into Golf lessons on a regular basis & how?

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Alright, we're cookin' now. Our kid is a natural and he/she can't get enough of the old "Pasture Pool".

It's time, that's right, it's time to begin to spend some greenbacks on your child to better prepare him/her to play competitive golf.

Now, we didn't say 'every' kid should be given this opportunity. It's critically important that your child have the athletic ability to hit the ball, the intelligence to understand the game and have an insatiable passion to play!! If we have those ingredients, now's the time to get serious.

You as a Dad or Mom may believe that you have the capability to teach your child the game and, especially to be their swing coach. You may be right!!

I was my kid's swing coach until he went off to college (Division I, Temple University - no braggin', jus' sayin'). I believe the instruction and guidance I gave him during his early years produced a kid that could play with a solid handle on the fundamentals of the game.

But, I, personally, had years and years of developing my own game, reading and practicing as well as competing at the higher amateur levels of the game.

Do you, as a parent have that background? Do you have enough knowledge of the golf game, golf swing, short game and putting as well as the strategic and mental necessities to develop a competitive golfer? If not, let's be honest now, then we need to do this....

How much will this cost us?

We've gotta find a professional golf instructor.

Begin your research by asking anyone you know who is deeply engaged in the game, possibly your local high school or college coach who might be the best junior golf instructor in your area. NOTE: It doesn't have to be a PGA of America Golf Professional, but, most likely the best one around will be a member o the PGA of America. Contact the first two or three that you hear about and ask them a few questions;

1. What children have you instructed that have been successful as a competitive junior golfer?
2. How many of your students have made it to the college ranks as golfers?
3. How often do we have to have lessons with you?
4. How much will this cost us?

I would use the answers to these questions and the general feeling I got from the interview (especially Mom's gut feel) to determine which instructor I wanted to bring our kid to.

The first lesson should be an evaluation of your child's swing and knowledge of the game.

This is the beginning of a long process and YOU control what's going to happen with your child's golf game. I pray it goes well for you and your child. Golf is a great game for the ages.

By the way, my son is now 40, a plus 2 handicap and plays regularly at the highest levels of amateur competition. Our relationship is bolstered due to our mutual enjoyment and love for the game.

Pretty cool, huh!?

Next Post ............
Ne

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5/20/2021

When and How Does my Child golfer compete?

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Playing golf for recreation is a great activity for children, but, when do we get our child golfer into competitions?

We may want to say that competing is not really the goal, somehow it is quite natural for everyone, including or, especially kids to compete at everything and golf is no exception. This may even be the ultimate goal for you and your child as they progress in their golf game. The ultimate objective may be a college golf scholarship and, even, the professional Tours.

Competing is what it's all about.

The beginning of all of this is when your child, of course, becomes obsessed with the game and wants to play all the time.

No matter where they play regularly, hopefully, there are other kids they can compete against; whether its putting and chipping, aiming at various targets on the driving range, a few holes or nine to eighteen; there's plenty of ways to compete.

Getting in the habit of competing is a great way to challenge any kid and get them in the mode of measuring their progress in the game.

When your child gets better and better, you, Dad and Mom, will have to make a decision

We mentioned in an earlier post that the PGA Junior League is a great way to begin competing in the game. It's pretty simple to engage with the PGA locally on this League. Just click on the website above to find the right connection.

The First Tee also has developed competitions, but, not necessarily ongoing and increasing in skill level competitions, but, it can be a great place to begin.

Many middle schools have begun to offer golf programs. The few that I have observed don't seem to have a great number of skilled players nor coaches, but, the opportunity to play and practice several times a week is beneficial to any young golfer as they not only are around the game regularly, but, the natural tendency to compete is, now, available everyday; putting, chipping, longest 5 iron, wedge to a target, 9 hole and 18 hole competitions... heck, we used to compete by seeing who could hit off of the cart path closest to the hole or any silly challenge we could think up. It's great....

High school is when the game gets pretty serious, but, not too serious in many schools. If you're living in Arizona or Florida, even, Texas, the golfers in high school become very competitive and this is great to bring your young freshman if he or she has been competing regularly. Hopefully, you have a great golf coach at this level, but, many high schools do not. Don't fret, there are alot of other places to compete.

Alright, now we're really gettin' into it!!!

When your child gets better and better, you, Dad and Mom, will have to make a decision if your child has the capacity to play with the big boys and girls....

What do we mean? There are a number of players all over the world who are extremely great players and many of them have been groomed from an early age to compete and win at their age level or, even, at the next age level.

This is where it gets serious and when it can cost alot of moolah!!

The best players score in the seventies the majority of the time if not lower. If your child is 15 or older and NOT shooting below 80 most days on his/her home course, you may not want to enter them into outside tournaments, but, if they are persistent and want to play against the better players, then search in your area for the local USGA Junior schedule and/or PGA Section tournament schedule.

Get ready to shell out the bucks, but, this is the best way to show your child what the competition is REALLY like and either frustrate them or invigorate them to get better..... and do it.

Lastly, we don't want to list every junior golf event across the globe and we will do this in our Facebook Groups.
But, for now, we'll just list this web address to get a flavor for the tournaments out there, then, you search and search and become more and more familiar with the events available for your child.

https://www.amateurgolf.com/amateur-golf-tournaments/TheMajorsOfAmateurGolf/junior

Best of everything. If you need more guidance, don't hesitate to contact us at bill@golffromtheheart.golf.

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Building Phase 2 of Golf From the Heart

Raising your child to greatness

We all have the freedom to live our lives the way we want to

Golf Program in Schools; New Life for Golfers

For me, the grip is the Word of God, the Bible.

GPS is established in Phoenix and Tempe & a few other locations. Contact us to engage. We want all those of you who want to join GPS to engage with us Here!

bill@golffromtheheart.golf or 774-212-2265

When do I get My Junior Golfer into Golf lessons on a regular basis & how?

How much will this cost us?

When and How Does my Child golfer compete?

When your child gets better and better, you, Dad and Mom, will have to make a decision

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GolfFromtheHeart Blog

We all have the freedom to live our lives the way we want to

For me, the grip is the Word of God, the Bible.

GPS is established in Phoenix and Tempe & a few other locations. Contact us to engage. We want all those of you who want to join GPS to engage with us Here!bill@golffromtheheart.golf or 774-212-2265

How much will this cost us?

When your child gets better and better, you, Dad and Mom, will have to make a decision

Author

Archives

Categories

GPS is established in Phoenix and Tempe & a few other locations. Contact us to engage. We want all those of you who want to join GPS to engage with us Here!

bill@golffromtheheart.golf or 774-212-2265