Editor’s note: Chapter Spotlight is a bimonthly GCM feature designed to highlight notable achievements and impactful initiatives among GCSAA’s 94 affiliated chapters. To submit ideas for this feature, contact Howard Richman at hrichman@gcsaa.org.
Mack Morris loved his summers at the golf course. He loves his country, too.
In Georgia, he is being rewarded for all of it.
Three years ago, the Georgia GCSA launched its Dollars for Scholars program. The aim is to raise money for students like Morris to help them through college with scholarships. The idea was born pre-pandemic. Tommy Hewitt joined the Georgia GCSA’s Scholarship and Research Committee then and became chair for the committee.
“My passion has always been, how do we make somebody that has the drive and give them the ability to succeed?” says Hewitt, former director of agronomy for ClubCorp (now known as Invited) and currently territory manager for Syngenta. “I wanted to give every kid as much as possible, but the pot was small. I thought, ‘We’ve got to increase our financial standing.’”
Much of the reasoning for it has much to do with chapter members. “They’re salt of the earth, humble. And their kids benefit from being raised by somebody like that,” Hewitt says.
In 2022, Dollars for Scholars was added as a biannual event to the Georgia GCSA’s scholarship portfolio. The Georgia GCSA has been raising money for the Legacy and Moncrief scholarships, where scholarships are given in conjunction with the Georgia State Golf Association Foundation, for many years. The Bulldog Classic golf event is the chapter’s major fundraiser for its scholarship program, along with a $10,000 annual donation from Jerry Pate Turf and Irrigation. Also, Georgia GCSA raises money through a silent auction at its annual meeting. Georgia GCSA has been donating $20,000 or more in scholarships for several years.
The inaugural Dollars for Scholars was held at St Ives Country Club in Johns Creek, Ga. That’s where 25-year GCSAA member Tim Busek is the GCSAA Class A director of agronomy.
“We put the first one together at the last minute,” Busek said, “but this year’s event (which was held at his club in late August), we had 18 months to prepare and got a lot of people signed up, so we’re headed in the right direction. We’re ecstatic. Happy. We see it as another way to give back. We want to do something and go above and beyond for the kids who are going to start their education and eventually their careers.”
Morris perfectly fits the profile. Starting at age 16, he spent six summers at Bentwater Golf Club in Acworth, Ga. “From the beginning, it gave me the excuse to be outside. Great boss (Cody Aaron). Great crew. I loved it,” says Morris (pictured), who was salutatorian at his high school. “It’s where I learned a lot of my work ethic. I loved it when a golfer would come by and tell us the course looks great. I kind of puffed out my chest when I heard it. Golf taught me how to work hard, take care of the people around you — lessons you don’t get from watching a YouTube video.”
Tenia Workman, executive director of the Georgia GCSA and recipient of GCSAA’s 2024 Outstanding Contribution Award, said, “As long as we continue to grow with these opportunities to support our youth, it will be wonderful. It’s a way to give back to those who have given back so much to our industry. And some of these students whose parents are superintendents are remarkable.”
Morris, Busek’s stepson, applied for a Legacy Scholarship. Dollars for Scholars is one of the avenues that fund the Legacy Scholarship. Applications are accepted whether the individual is going to enter the golf industry or not. Some Legacy Scholarships donated are as much as $3,000. “If doesn’t matter if they’re going into marketing, business, education or our industry. They give you a lot of hope for the future,” Hewitt says. “They give us a lot of hope for their future, too, and also for our country.”
Morris doesn’t plan to join the industry anytime soon, although he did leave the door open for the possibility. Now, he has other obligations.
“I’m commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force for Remotely Piloted Aircraft. People would know it as drones,” says Morris, whose active duty began Aug. 5.
Still, he never will say never to golf resurfacing in his future. “I think when I’m done in the service, I may try to break back into the golf industry,” Morris says. “I love the work.”