Golf From the Heart dot golf Blog

9/11/2022

GPS Montgomery, Alabama for the Fall of 2022

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As we've discussed in the past, our Golf Program in Schools in Montgomery, AL (read here) was a resounding success this past Spring.

So how do we continue that success?

We are thankful that Dr Fenderson of the Montgomery City Schools has agreed to invite us back to the 5th thru 9th grade schools. This allows us to solidify our contact with the schools we went into this past Spring and, hopefully expand into the other schools as they become more aware of our impact on their students.

In this regard, we are working with Pike Road Middle and Senior High to get back into their Gym, hopefully, the first or second week of October. We have been coordinating with Mr Ted White to schedule a few days in the gym with another Field Day @ Gateway Park Golf Course as well.

We are truly thankful to have a close relationship with St James United Methodist Church as well. Ross Jenkins has been our primary contact and he has been extremely helpful engaging with Pike Road and their students. We hope to continue that relationship and create a larger impact on the Spiritual lives of our kids and their families. This is a good place to let you see what we're really about. Click on this link for our video.

in addition, Quincy Leonard has partnered with us to present the Leo - GPS - Golf Academy for our students as well. This summer Quincy conducted several weekday camps at which a few of our students attended. He has agreed to participate in our Field Day outreaches and will continue to guide our students to his regularly scheduled clinics and camps.

Here's the Leo Golf Academy Fall Clinic Schedule.

What's next?

Well, we believe Carr Middle would be the next stop for our GPS Program. Mr Baldwin of Carr Middle was incredible last year; allowing us into the gym classes for all of their students. We hope to enter Carr Middle following our engagement with Pike Road. Additionally, Grace Point Baptist Church which is just across the highway from Carr Middle. has been very receptive to our program. In fact, Naomi Kemp, our local coordinator for Child Evangelism Fellowship in Middle Alabama, introduced us to Pastor Scotty and Youth Leader Mike. Mr Larry Campbell from Grace Point and his son Troy have latched onto our program and are providing incredible golf instruction experience to all of our kids when we conduct our Field Days.

Next?

Not quite sure, but, we did programs @ Brewbaker Middle and Floyd Middle Magnet Schools. I'm pretty sure both of these schools will allow us to re-enter, but, we haven't, as of yet, finalized a schedule with them.

Worth mentioning as well is the incredible support and assistance we have received from the management of Montgomery City golf courses as well as the Driving Force Ladies Golf group from Lagoon Park Golf Club. Ms Cindy Ashley has given her support to our program and Ms Hattie Robinson, & Ms Ann and Mr Norm Hall have given much of their time in the schools and on the practice tee. We pray they will continue to work with us for the students of Montgomery Schools .

So, you see we are enjoying great success in Montgomery, Alabama. We continue to work through our Universal Prayer process for our Murfreesboro, TN GPS Academy at Champions Run GC and our Santa Rosa, FL Academy on the Pan Handle of Florida.

We would love to have you participate at any of these locations or in your location.

Learn more about what we do and how we do it, here.....

Le

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5/9/2022

Golf Program in Schools - Spring Results

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Hard to believe it's been since December that I've posted in this Blog. Must have been busy....

That's right, we've been busy!!

The Spring of 2022 Golf Program in Schools is complete and we have introduced nearly 40,000 students to the game of golf!!!!

Included in those numbers are the results of our newest location, Montgomery, Alabama. Here are those numbers;

We went into four schools, grades 5th thru 9th grade; Pike Road Junior High School, Brewbaker Middle School, Carr Middle School and Floyd Middle Magnet School over five weeks this spring.

Busy, yeah we've been busy ............

1. We introduced 3,373 students to the game.

2. We had 3,373 students experience the aroma of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 2:15-17
3. We had 1,090 students opt-in to receiving text messaging from us regarding our GPS activities in Montgomery, including; becoming Junior Members of the Gateway Park GC.
4. We had 324 students attend our Field Day where they were further introduced to the game @ Gateway Park Golf Club and introduced to the Gospel of Jesus Christ by our Child Evangelism Fellowship partner, Naomi Kemp. (we had only one student opt-out of this presentation)
5. We know of 4 students who committed their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ.
6. We have partnered with two churches; St James UMC and Grace Point Church of Christ and are fashioning strategies to invite the students and their families into discipleship.
7. We have partnered with the GPS - Leo Golf Academy for 12 days of clinics and camps during the summer, inviting all 1,090 students to the clinics and camps.
8. We will return to full force in the schools beginning in August 2022.

Thank God for His provision and protection.

Bill

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12/22/2021

Thanks For my Alabaster Box

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Good morning, back on Thanksgiving day 2018 I was meditating for many days on a song by CeCe Winans called, Alabaster Box.

This story about Mary's alabaster box is best expressed in the book of Luke 7:37-50. Read it here (click)

I really enjoy music and since becoming a Believer many years ago have only focused on music that edifies Christ or speaks about the Christian Life; worship songs, excetera. But, I'm not an expert in Christian music or any music at all, however, it does something to me and I believe, lately, that it has been something that has been a communication, quite honestly, from the Lord.

What do I mean by that? I mean that my life, thankfully, has become a devotional life. I don't mean that I'm any better than anybody else or that I'm out of the ordinary or strange or special. I don't mean that at all. What I mean is, that as I conduct my devotional times each day, through reading the word of God, prayer, sometimes fasting, and devoting myself to the times of fellowship with many other fellow Believers, that my attraction to certain songs has been part of the message the Lord is communicating to me. Again, I don't say that I'm special. I just believe that, possibly, the Lord uses music and specific songs in our lives, as we devote our Lives to Christ, that aid in communicating the message that the Lord wants to give to us.

So here on Thanksgiving day 2018, for the past few weeks, the song Alabaster Box has been increasingly attractive and, quite honestly, ministering to me to a degree. I couldn't quite understand why until this morning.

Again, it was Thanksgiving and the question during Thanksgiving for many folks is, "What does Thanksgiving mean? and, "What am I thankful for?"

So now I'm giving back to Him
All the praise He's worthy of
I've been forgiven and that's why
I love Him so much//

Alabaster box is a story of Thanksgiving and, of course, Christmas. This song is sung by CeCe Winans and was written by a woman by the name of Janice Sjostran. The lyrics below express the sincere thanks expressed to God for His grace & mercy "poured" on the Believer when they had a salvation moment thru an encounter with Jesus Christ.

This song is not about oil or tears it's about appreciation and thanks to our Father for the redeeming work in my life and yours through Christ.

I spent years of my life pouring selfish and sinful "oil" into the box that "I found". He allowed me to pour these worthless things on Him so that I could "feel what I felt when He put His loving arms around me."

"You don't know the cost of the oil." "You don't know the cost of my praise".

We don't fully comprehend the cost of His sacrifice for you and me to redeem us from a life far from Him.

This is the cost of my praise.

Thank You, Father. Thank You, Jesus.

This is why the Lord has placed this song in my soul .... because it was Thanksgiving, that day and everyday.

//And I've come to pour
My praise on Him like oil
From Mary's Alabaster Box
Don't be angry if I wash His feet with my tears
And I dry them with my hair

...You weren't there the night He found me. You did not feel what I felt
When He wrapped His loving arms around me...

And you don't know the cost
Of the oil in my Alabaster box

"You don't know the cost of my praise.."

.... you don't know the cost
Of the oil in my Alabaster box

I can't forget the way life used to be
I was a prisoner to the sin that had me bound. And I spent my days,
Poured my life without measure
Into a little treasure box
I thought I found.
Until the day when Jesus came to me
And healed my soul with the wonder of His touch

So now I'm giving back to Him
All the praise He's worthy of
I've been forgiven and that's why
I love Him so much//

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12/13/2021

GPS Support; Other Revenue Producers

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Well, we covered the latest need and work with Golf Program in Schools which is our Montgomery focus that will spill over into our Champions Run GC in Murfreesboro, TN and Shalimar GC in Tempe, AZ.
Here are the other ways we expect to gain revenue for our 'self-sustaining' GPS Academies.

Sponsorships.
We could include this fundraising into our golf marathon, but, as a stand alone, Sponsorships are usually companies or individuals, even, Foundations that have a heart for what we are doing with the GPS - Montgomery program; impacting the lives of young golfers and their families to build a better future for themselves and our community.

As stated, we could incorporate Sponsorship solicitation in our golf marathon, say, by asking one of the groups above for a sponsorship of $100 per hole which would be $10,000 or more after the event, but, engaging with a potential sponsor to garner that amount for our program may take alot more of a strategy for the ask.

So, we will be implementing a strategy to reach out to Sponsors in our community as we move down the path of growing financial support for GPS - Montgomery.

Lessons:
One of our major objectives with the GPS - Montgomery program is to grow junior golfers into competitive golfers if they have the desire to do that.

Golf lessons are the way to move that player along into a competitive environment to grow their games.
We have teachers at the Leo GPS - Montgomery Golf Academy and we will encourage middle schoolers to join group lessons at the Academy. The Academy Group lessons cost $20 per lesson and the next step, private lessons are offered at $45 per lesson.

This becomes revenue for the Academy and will continue to fund the necessary activities for the GPS at Gateway and Lagoon Golf clubs.

Imagine that we are introducing nearly 10,000 middle school students per year to the game of golf. What would be the percentage of children that would want to join group lessons?

Conservatively, let’s use 2% of those kids. That would be 200 kids in group lessons or $4,000 per group. Let’s say we do that twice per month for an average of $8,000 per month or $96,000 for the year. And what percentage of those kids would want private lessons? Let’s use a figure of 5% of those kids so 10 kids. At $45 per lesson that’s $450 and if the kids have two lessons per month, that’s an additional revenue stream of $900 and if we have that for 12 months that’s $10,800.

The first year we accumulated $106,800!!!

And that will be the case year after year after year and the number of students will grow exponentially based on the number of young people introduced to the game and the growth of the Academy.

Increased Golf Course Revenue
We may not have covered this concept well enough previously, but each Junior Golfer who is a member of Gateway and Lagoon Park Golf Clubs is able to play golf for FREE from the time they become a member until they graduate from high school.

These FREE rounds are precipitated by having an adult golfer accompanying the Junior Golfer when they want to play at the golf course. The adult golfer would be required to pay the full green fee for the round, but the Junior Golfer would play for free.

This process allows for increased revenue to the golf course due to increased rounds that would not have been played if the golfer had not accompanied the Junior Golfer at the golf course.

Thus, we have a new revenue stream to the golf course resulting from our program and that revenue will be credited to the program as additional financial development.

We have proven this concept to be true in our initial program launch at Sun City CC in Peoria, Arizona. After the third year of program implementation, Sun City had a 51% increase in revenue at the club as a result of increased rounds with our Junior Members. And that we pre-Covid which you may know has resulted in an increase in golf rounds at most courses in the country.

Summary of Sources of Income
Therefore, Golf Fundraising Events, Sponsorships, Lessons and Increased Golf Course Revenue are the ways in which we will raise financial support for the Golf Program in Schools - Montgomery program.

We will identify operation costs as we move forward, but, suffice it to say with the golf course and the practice facilities available for free and volunteers working toward paid positions in the future, the initial program costs are minimal.

Let's Gooooooo!!!

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12/10/2021

Financial support for GPS; The Golf Marathon

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Golf Fundraising Efforts
Our program is conducted in such a way that it would be a volunteer effort evolving into paid positions and is expected to become self-sufficient within a specific time-frame.

What does that mean?

All of the positions identified in the accompanying document (GPS Roles) (click here) will be volunteer until funds are in place to assist in sustaining the program.

Sources of income;

Golf Fundraising Events
Sponsorships
Lessons
Increased golf course revenue

We’ll talk about Golf Fundraising Events here; The Golf Marathon
The first golf fundraising event will be conducted the first week of May. The format will be a Golf Marathon.

A golf marathon is a format similar to a walk-a-thon or read-a-thon where each fundraising golfer is empowered to raise a total of $20 per hole over a six-month timeframe and play as many holes as possible in one day at the Gateway Golf Club the first week of May. Our goal is 20 golfers raising $20 per hole and playing 100 holes in one day for a total of $40,000 in gross funds raised.

$20 per hole???

Yes!!

We will be equipping each golfer with fundraising sheets to go out and ask people in their network for a portion of that “per hole” pledge.

Let’s say, we equip a golfer with the sheets and we ask the golfer to be ready to ask anyone he knows to donate. The golfer now becomes a Golf Fundraising Golfer (GFG) and sits before the Lord and writes out the people brought to mind to “Ask” for contributions for this very worthy effort to introduce young middle schoolers to golf and God.
Our GFG determines that one of his friends in his community owns a somewhat prosperous concrete company or Uber business or any business that is prosperous.

Our GFG would be trained to contact Mr Concrete Company owner (MCCo) and communicate that he/she has agreed to play 100 holes of golf in one day while raising pledges per hole for his/her effort. The reason our GFG is challenging himself/herself to play this many holes is because this fundraising golf marathon is benefiting the Golf Program in Schools in our Montgomery schools.

For every $20 raised a child will be introduced to the game of golf and given a free Junior Membership to the Montgomery Municipal Golf Courses until they graduate from high school. That could be up to SIX YEARS of free golf!!!

That’s amazing, right?

But, imagine that each Junior Member also has the option of being trained up as a Christ Follower!! That will change the trajectory of that child, their family and the community in which they live!!!!

Right!!!

His MCCo says “That is pretty amazing, what can I do to help?”

Our GFG says; “You could contribute $2.00 per hole. Just $2.00. That equates to a minimum of $200 when I play 100 holes, but I might play 117 holes so you would be committed to contributing up to $234.

That’s 11 kids that will be sponsored in our program!!

You will be positively impacting the lives of those kids by introducing them to the game of golf, training them up on how to be people of integrity on the golf course and at home as well as introducing them and training them up to be people who know the Lord Jesus Christ and are followers of Him for eternity!!!!”

MCCo says, “Whoa, $234. That’s a lot, right!?” Our GFG says, “Yes, Sir, but, you’re impacting the lives of so many children in our community. You know how we have to improve our community and this is the best way to do that; golf and God.”

MCCo says, “I know, but, is it possible to give a smaller amount?”

“Yes, sir.” Our fundraising GFG says, “How about $1.50 per hole. That would be $150 dollars or a bit more. You don’t have to wait until the end of the event. You could contribute to seven or eight kids now by giving a check for $150.”

“OK”, MCCo says, “I’ll give you a $100 check for five kids. Is that OK?”

“ABSOLUTELY!! Thank you so much. Here is a receipt for your contribution and we will mention your company at our event and in our newsletter.”

And our GFG heads off to the next friend…..

Our GFG has just raised $1.00 per hole. Only $19 per hole left.

Let’s say his next friend is not so fortunate to own a concrete company or be an Uber driver. Our GFG decides to ask this friend for 20 cents per hole which will be $20 or a little more. Their friend agrees and our golf fundraising golfer has just raised a total 0f $120 now. Just $18.80 per hole to go. And on and on until our golf fundraising golfer gets to the $20 per hole (or more) goal.

Planning Schedule for our GPS - Montgomery Golf Marathon

December 6th @ 12 PM #1 Golf Fundraising Planning Meeting
December 20th @ 2 PM #2 Golf Fundraising Planning Meeting, ONLINE
January 6th @ 2 PM #3 Golf Fundraising Planning Meeting
January 17th @ 2 PM #4 Golf Fundraising Planning Meeting
February 12th @ 2 PM #5 Golf Fundraising Planning Meeting
February 28th @ 2 PM #6 Golf Fundraising Planning Meeting ONLINE
March 18th @ 2 PM #7 Golf Fundraising Planning Meeting
March 28th @ 2 PM #8 Golf Fundraising Planning Meeting
April 11th @ 2 PM #9 Golf Fundraising Planning Meeting ONLINE
April 25th @ 2 PM #10 Golf Fundraising Planning Meeting
May 2nd or May 6th Golf Marathon Event @ 7 AM Gateway GC

I will be sending out a bit more information before our December 20th online meeting.

Please make every effort to attend this online Zoom Meeting and be prepared to ask questions you may have regarding our moving forward..

Let's Gooooooo!!!

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GPS Montgomery, Alabama for the Fall of 2022

Here's the Leo Golf Academy Fall Clinic Schedule.

Golf Program in Schools - Spring Results

Thanks For my Alabaster Box

So now I'm giving back to Him
All the praise He's worthy of
I've been forgiven and that's why
I love Him so much//

GPS Support; Other Revenue Producers

Financial support for GPS; The Golf Marathon

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Here's the Leo Golf Academy Fall Clinic Schedule.

So now I'm giving back to HimAll the praise He's worthy ofI've been forgiven and that's whyI love Him so much//

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So now I'm giving back to Him
All the praise He's worthy of
I've been forgiven and that's why
I love Him so much//