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Player Feature, Renee Powell — “I am my parent’s daughter.”

Posted on February 18, 2020

On February 11, the Golf Writers Association of America announced that Renee Powell, the second African-American player to play on the LPGA Tour and a pioneer known for her passion toward opening the game to all, is the recipient of the 2020 Charlie Bartlett Award, given to a playing professional for his/her unselfish contributions to the betterment of society. Read this article to hear Powell in her own words: read article.

Photo Credit: 1978 Focus on Sport

FOG To Honor Broadcasters Including Vin Scully at April Event

Posted on February 9, 2020

in Events

Friends of Golf (FOG) announced that former CBS golf announcers, Gary McCord and Peter Kostis, will be the 2020 Honorees for the annual FOG Tournament to be held at the Bel-Air Country Club, Monday, April 27. The event will also feature legendary Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster, Vin Scully receiving the Ken Venturi “Spirit of Giving” Award. Konica Minolta is the title sponsor of the event.

McCord, a Southern California native who graduated from Riverside’s Ramona High School and starred on UC Riverside’s golf team, had a 33-year career with CBS. He won the NCAA Division II singles title before turning pro and winning three times as a professional. McCord appeared in the Kevin Costner golf classic, Tin Cup as himself and has authored two humorous books about golf.

Kostis, a Maine native who attended the University of New Hampshire on a football scholarship, also appeared in Tin Cup as the Costner character’s coach. Along with his broadcasting career which began in 1989, Kostis has also coached many golfers and celebrities including Dan Marino, Paul Casey, Steve Elkington, Chez Revie and Mike Schmidt. Along with McCord, he is a partner in the Kostis/McCord Learning Center in Scottsdale, AZ.

FOG Honorees of the past include Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Loren Ochoa, Byron Nelson, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Annika Sorenstam, Lee Trevino, Kathy Whitworth, Johnny Miller and more recently Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka.

Scully is best known for his 67 years announcing Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers games, but also spent seven years broadcasting NFL games. He also announced golf events during the 70’s and 80’s and was on CBS’ Masters broadcast from 1975-1982. The list of honors Scully has received is lengthy and was capped when he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Past Ken Venturi “Spirit of Giving” recipients include John Wooden, Jim Nantz, Digger Phelps, Peter Ueberroth, Greg Penske and Rick Taylor, President and CEO of Konica Minolta.

About Friends of Golf (FOG)
Friends of Golf (FOG) is the leading national non-profit organization providing a range of financial support, golf equipment, training resources and mentoring to boys and girls in youth golf organizations, young men and women in high schools, junior colleges, four-year colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Many have compared Friends of Golf’s (FOG) support of collegiate golf and the Ben Hogan Trophy to the role New York’s Downtown Athletic Club played in college football and the Heisman Trophy. In 2010, FOG’s commitment to college golf earned the organization the Golf Coaches Association of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award. They were the first organization and only the fifth recipient of the prestigious award with the other four being Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus and Karsten Solheim. For more information visit friendsofgolf.org.

About Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Future^™with its expansive smart office product portfolio from IT Services (All Covered), ECM, Managed Print Services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for thirteen consecutive years, and is proud to be ranked on the Forbes 2017 America’s Best Employers list. The World Technology Awards recently named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for eight consecutive years. It partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and work to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, Linked In and Twitter.

FOUNDATION – CONTRIBUTOR’S CORNER, An interview with Sal Cimbolo

Posted on December 24, 2019

in Partners

Sal Cimbolo is the Chairman and CEO of Friends of Golf

Friends of Golf (FOG) supports student athlete golfers by instilling the values of honesty, ethics, fellowship with a true appreciation for the game. From the time boys and girls enter grade school through the end of their college experience, FOG makes it possible for aspiring junior golfers (irrespective of economic standing) to play, compete and excel in this exceptional sport.

Flashback to when you were 10 years old. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I grew up in the Baltimore area and wanted to be shortstop or center field for the Orioles. I played a lot of baseball and had the same dream as the average 10-year old.

Tell me about how you got into your line of work.
I was in office technology. Right after college, I was hanging out in my apartment and my roommate’s friend was boasting about the copy industry and how much money he was making. So I gave it a shot and made so much money in the first six months, it became my first career. Later, a few jobs brought me to the west coast. I became a member of Bel-Air Country Club in the late 70’s, where I met Eddie Merrins, founder of FOG, along with John Anderson of UCLA (and FOG co-founder). I didn’t become FOG President until the early 2000’s, followed by Chairman and CEO in 2013/14 when John Hoffman took a more active role as President. FOG started as Friends of College Golf to help Eddie at his college golf program at UCLA, but then became Friends of Golf when it started supporting the CIF (high schools). We also implemented the TWIG (Turn Wood and Iron into Gold) program with the L.A. and Southern Sections of CIF.

How did you hear about the SCPGA Foundation?
About 5 years ago, the Foundation made a presentation about all the great things you were doing and could look forward to doing with our help. A proposal was then presented to the FOG Board and everyone enthusiastically said, “Yeah!”

What are you most proud of with our relationship?
I would say I’m most proud of the fact that we’ve extended our reach throughout the junior golf community. It’s been the building blocks over the years—having an almost all-volunteer crew and our signature annual fundraising event. We couldn’t be happier—we’ve started to receive donations through people’s wills and instituted a Champion’s dinner. Essentially, the expansion into junior golf with SCPGA allows FOG to have an imprint from the time a young boy or girl touches a club right through their college experience.

What’s a goal you have for Friends of Golf that you hope to accomplish in 2020?
I would love to work on getting more areas involved, like Northern California and Chicago. Expanding the FOG footprint. There’s only one board meeting per year and our almost all-volunteer crew to get everything accomplished… so baby steps. Steadily growing towards solidifying our national reach every year, to generate more revenue, so that we can continue to support even more youth.

Finish this sentence. On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me…?
Spending time with my family. Sunday is a family day, always has been.

Interview first appeared on page 41 in SCPGA’s PROgram Magazine – Fall issue 2019.

Player Feature, Renee Powell — “I am my parent’s daughter.”

FOG To Honor Broadcasters Including Vin Scully at April Event

FOUNDATION – CONTRIBUTOR’S CORNER, An interview with Sal Cimbolo

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