The Future is Bright H
appy mid-summer, friends. For the 22nd consecutive year, I made a recruiting trip to the Future Masters in Dothan, Alabama. This tournament never disappoints. Young golfers from all over the world usually participate in this event, but sadly, due to COVID-19 and travel issues, there have not been as many participants these past couple of years. I spoke with Lee Williams, a local businessman who played the pro tour, a few days ago, and he remembered that something like 14 different countries were represented the year he won this championship. The level of talent that I witnessed in the 15-to-18-year-old age group was impressive. Dothan Country Club’s head pro/general manager, Kevin Klein, and tournament coordinator, Angelia Wade Turner, do such a great job in welcoming the college golf coaches. We always feel wanted at this tournament. The Future Masters is one of my two favorite recruitment events. The other being our Alabama State Junior Championship, hosted later this month at Canebrake Country Club in Athens. A few weeks ago, I volunteered to help the Alabama Golf Association in starting the State Girls Championship at Montgomery Country Club. Between these two big events, I am happy to tell you, the talent of golf is doing nothing but growing. At Montgomery C.C., the tournament director for the Girls State Championship brought out the perpetual silver bowl trophy. Each year, the champion’s name is engraved onto this beautiful piece. Checking out this large silver cup, I found a dear friend’s name, Judy Jehle. Judy is from Montgomery, and she plays at Montgomery Country Club and Willow Point. I met Judy in the mid 1970s, when my family was a member of Arrowhead Country Club. Judy’s parents lived off the fifth tee (older layout) and were also members. I practiced and played some golf with Judy back 20 Lake Martin Living
then. She played on the Auburn University golf team, and it was so impressive to watch her work ethic and drive to improve. Today, you can find her still grinding and playing good golf. Now, women’s golf is growing at a higher percentage rate than ever before. Last year, I volunteered at this event at Canebrake and found an old friend, Scott Davidson, whose daughter, Molly Brown, was playing in the tournament. I had no idea how good this young lady was. She did not win, but in following her for a few holes, it was easy to see that she was something special. Molly completed last year by earning the “Alabama’s Female Golfer of the Year” honors from the Alabama Golf Association. This year at the State Girls Junior, Molly won the tournament and on the following day, earned a spot to play in the U.S. Junior Girls Championship. She was the medalist in this USGA qualifier. Here’s the amazing thing about Molly: She doesn’t graduate high school until 2025. After watching her play, I asked Molly’s dad where she wanted to play college golf. Molly is driven to play at the highest level, and her first two choices were Duke and Stanford universities. I reached out to both of the universities, as I have some ties with both, and the Stanford University program responded and assured me that they would be keeping a close eye on Molly. At the moment, she is too young to be properly recruited by college golf coaches, but at least she is now on their radar. This past week at the Future Masters was another inspiring week of recruiting. Coach Travis Cassell and I were there, seeking players for the 2023 school year. We did find quite a few to consider. I introduced Coach Cassell to a large number of four-year university golf coaches in attendance. At the NJCAA level, the rules and regulations in speaking with players and family members are much more relaxed than the NCAA. The coaches looked at me with envy, as I had multiple conversations
