Vol. 12, No. 2, November 2015
Recognition, Inspiration and News from the Sunshine Through Golf Foundation
Three of a Kind By Casey Richards
“
There are just great people around golf all of the time.”
The reason all three have been such willing participants is simple.
That’s how Glen Oak Country Club head golf professional Danny Mulhearn explains the growth of the Sunshine Through Golf Foundation’s Sunshine Camp program to 92 camps throughout the District, three of which have ties to him.
“It does more for us than it does for the campers,” Mulhearn said.
Mulhearn’s camp at Glen Oak is one of the Foundation’s longest-running, as he was one of the first to adopt the program in its early stages. When Jim Sutherland, Mulhearn’s assistant pro, left for St. Charles Country Club in 2007, it didn’t take long for him to start a camp of his own. And when Curtis Malm left Sutherland’s side for White Eagle in 2014, he started a camp without hesitation as well.
Danny Mulhearn – Glen Oak Country Club When CDGA Past President and Glen Oak member Steve Becker approached Mulhearn with the idea of hosting a camp, it was an easy decision for Mulhearn to participate. “We just jumped on it as soon as he asked if we’d be willing to do it,” Mulhearn recalled. Mulhearn and his staff, Sutherland included, developed a program that, while still featuring
golf instruction, is more about providing a fun experience that can be enjoyed by each individual participant. “First and foremost, we want the kids to come out,” Mulhearn said, “whether it’s for the golf or for the social atmosphere, just to get away from the normal day for them.” Danny Mulhearn Mulhearn’s estimation is that the Glen Oak camp has featured primarily younger kids mostly between the ages of 10 and 13. While Sutherland hasn’t been with Glen Oak since 2007, Mulhearn still remembers how this age group particularly enjoyed interaction with his former assistant. Continued on page 3...
Mulhearn’s (left) Sunshine Camp at Glen Oak was one of the program’s first and precipitated two others at St. Charles and White Eagle
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