Tiger Gives Kids a Lesson They Won’t Forget

OKLAHOMA CITY —  Lois Jones kept one eye on the ball and the other over her shoulder, watching anxiously as the teacher made his way down the driving range.

The wait was worth it.

Before long, standing behind her was Tiger Woods, arms crossed, sweat dripping from his brow on a scorching Sunday afternoon at James E. Stewart Golf Course. She nervously swatted a few balls and then locked her eyes on Woods as he offered instruction.

After a few more swings, the 14-year-old hit one pure and couldn’t contain a smile. Woods watched her hit a half-dozen more shots and smiled just as wide.

Satisfied with the results, he moved on to the next student.

“When they hit a couple of good shots, it puts a smile on their faces,” he said. “And that’s pretty neat to see.”

An hour before the clinic, Lois was fiddling with her clubs. “I heard he likes kids. That’s good,” she said. “I think youth always thought golf was an old man’s sport.”

Oklahoma City was the 17th stop on Tiger’s Tour to teach kids in the inner cities about life through golf.

The message is simple: dream big; work hard.

Of the thousands of kids he has already reached through the Tiger Woods Foundation junior golf clinics, he estimates only about 5% will ever make a living as a touring pro, a club pro, a superintendent or in some other aspect of the game.

“But it introduces them to an opportunity to make something of themselves and to chase after their dreams,” Woods said. “A lot of kids from the inner city have a misconception that golf is not for them. They don’t have to play it for a living, but they can be part of it.”

Woods is not the only PGA Tour player who can work wonders in a clinic, but his reach his vast. In less than four years, he has become the most dominant player in golf and perhaps the most recognizable figure in sports.

“He opened a lot of people’s eyes,” said Leroy Richardson, a local golf leader who helped bring the clinic to Oklahoma City. “He changed the views about what and who Tiger Woods is. They found a warm, caring young man -- with tons and tons of talent.”

Mark Steinberg, Woods’ agent at IMG, sees that talent every time he goes to a clinic or exhibition, where Woods will hit hooks and fades, a 2-iron that goes no higher than 10 feet and no less than 200 yards.

And yes, there is always time for Woods to bounce a ball off the face of his wedge, between his legs and behind his back, just as he does in the commercial.

But what struck Steinberg more than anything was the kids’ response. “There wasn’t one person who took his eyes off of anything he was going to do,” he said.

The first clinic, in March 1997, was a couple of weeks before Woods became the first minority and youngest player to win the Masters. Another was planned for Denver this weekend, and clinics are scheduled for New Orleans and Norfolk, Va., later this year.

The clinics are about more than hitting balls or trying to be like Woods. They offer workshops on how to interview for jobs, employment opportunities in golf, rules and etiquette of the game, parental guidelines for competitive junior golf.

Still, the focus is built around golf.

“The game itself teaches kids about life,” said Earl Woods, the president of the Tiger Woods Foundation who came up with the idea for junior clinics when Tiger was 10. “What we want to do is improve these kids’ chances in life. They learn how to handle success, failure, integrity and patience.”

A group of about two dozen kids got instruction from Woods at the course in Oklahoma City. Some were black, some Asian, some Indian, some white. One 8-year-old had a starter set of clubs. A high school kid had just won a state championship.

Laura Benedix, a senior state champion from rural Harrah, wanted to learn “that hip move he does” so she could get more distance off the tee.

Jonathan Sanders, a 13-year-old with diamond studs in his ears and a set of imitation Cobra clubs, wasn’t so specific. His grandfather got him interested in golf, and Woods made it cool.

Lois’ 15-year-old brother, Riley, agreed.

“I like the way he controls himself, his poise,” Riley said. “He doesn’t let it go to his head and trip about it.”

Afterward, Woods pulled the kids together for what he hopes is the most important lesson.

“People have no idea how many hours I put into this game,” Woods said. “My dad always told me, ‘There are no short cuts.’ These kids may not play golf. They may not be what I am in a golfing sense. But they could be what I am in a business field or a medical field.”

By the end of 2000, Woods will have conducted 20 junior clinics since turning pro, and there is fierce competition to get them -- 42 cities bid for a clinic this year. Oklahoma City put up $25,000 in public money as part of its package, which was spent on staging the clinic.

What they get in return is a chance for hundreds of kids to see Woods up close -- the player and the person.

“What’s the most important thing they get out of it? Tiger’s positive attitude and his will to win,” Earl Woods said. “He preaches like I preached to him -- ‘I earned everything I have. No one gives you anything.’ That’s the new element he’s introducing to the inner cities. “Because of Tiger, kids are willing to earn their way out, rather than wanting someone to give them a way out.”

Is it working? Richardson liked the immediate results.

Every weekend, some 40 kids come to the Oklahoma City course for free lessons. A week after Tiger’s clinic, the number of kids had nearly doubled.