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John Mayhugh

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Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« on: July 14, 2010, 01:49:12 PM »
OK, the title is a bit misleading.

The Golf Channel has a series called Golf in America.  I had never watched it before last night, but was flipping through channels after the MLB all star game and started watching.  For those who aren't familiar, the show is a collection of human interest stories related to golf.

One of the featured stories was on the vocational training program at Glen Mills. The golf course of the same name is affiliated with the Glen Mills schools - the oldest residential school for court referred young men in the country.  What most of us would call a reform school.  The golf course is set up to provide a "realistic, true to life vocational training facility for our students in turf management and golf house operations."  Profits from the golf course are used for the student scholarship fund.

The segment showed current students at work, as well as one real success story.  A young man named Sean Kearney graduated from Glen Mills, graduated from Penn State's two year Turgrass Management program, interned at Merion while at PSU, and is now an intern at Fishers Island.  The show included brief comments by both Sean and his boss, GCA's Donnie Beck.

It's great to see stories like this and be reminded of what a second chance can do for people when they take advantage of it.  I have even more respect for the Donnie Becks of the world than I already did and I wish Sean much continued success.

If I can ever make it to Philly, I'm going to be sure to play Glen Mills.  Their mission is reason enough, but the course looks pretty good too.
http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,39919.0/


Mac Plumart

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Re: Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« Reply #1 on: July 14, 2010, 01:51:52 PM »
John...

I saw it and I am with you.  Glen Mills is getting put on my "must play" list.  It represents something bigger than the game and faciliates golf having a positive impact on peoples lives.  Great stuff.  Thanks for bringing it up.

Sportsman/Adventure loving golfer.

George Pazin

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Re: Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« Reply #2 on: July 14, 2010, 01:57:23 PM »
You guys are shameless, trying to trick the Philly guys into insisting you play their course instead to show your errors...They aren't fooled.

 :)

Donnie is on my short list of favorite posters, thanks for sharing the news, now I will make an effort to watch the show.
Big drivers and hot balls are the product of golf course design that rewards the hit one far then hit one high strategy.  Shinny showed everyone how to take care of this whole technology dilemma. - Pat Brockwell, 6/24/04

Steve_ Shaffer

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Re: Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« Reply #3 on: July 14, 2010, 01:59:51 PM »
I try to play Glen Mills at least twice a year. It's about an hour from where I live. Here's Jeff Silverman's piece on why he plays GM in Joe Logan's myphillygolf.com


http://www.myphillygolf.com/detail.asp?id=5089&pid=20
"Some of us worship in churches, some in synagogues, some on golf courses ... "  Adlai Stevenson
Hyman Roth to Michael Corleone: "We're bigger than US Steel."
Ben Hogan “The most important shot in golf is the next one”

Gene Greco

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Re: Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« Reply #4 on: July 14, 2010, 02:20:14 PM »
   Saw it, too. Great stuff.

The entire program was terrific from Eerie Ball to Dakota Dowd and the story summed up above by John M.
"...I don't believe it is impossible to build a modern course as good as Pine Valley.  To me, Sand Hills is just as good as Pine Valley..."    TOM DOAK  November 6th, 2010

John Mayhugh

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Re: Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« Reply #5 on: July 14, 2010, 02:25:27 PM »
Thanks for the article link, Steve.  I really liked this:
There’s always something fulfilling in the knowledge that the polite, well-groomed kid greeting you at the bag drop is turning his life around, and that golf is playing a part in that, just as it’s fulfilling to know that no matter how badly you play on any given day, your green fees are sprouting into college scholarships.

This may be a Golf Channel show worth setting the dvr for.  The other segments that Gene mentioned were also good.

JC Jones

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Re: Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« Reply #6 on: July 14, 2010, 02:33:42 PM »
I saw this last night and meant to start a thread congratulating Glen Mills and Donnie Beck.
I get it, you are mad at the world because you are an adult caddie and few people take you seriously.

Excellent spellers usually lack any vision or common sense.

I know plenty of courses that are in the red, and they are killing it.

Donnie Beck

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Re: Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« Reply #7 on: July 14, 2010, 05:02:47 PM »
Sean is a great kid. He is one of the most dedicated and hard working interns I have ever had. He is a class act on and off the golf course. We both share a lot of the same passions and I have had the pleasure of spending time with him outside of work golfing, fishing, and playing softball. I knew nothing about the Glen Mills program until Sean told me about his experience there. The more he spoke the more intrigued I became. He is a great example of what can happen if given the chance. He has a very bright future ahead of him and it is an honor to be part of his story.

John Mayhugh

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Re: Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« Reply #8 on: July 14, 2010, 05:48:18 PM »
Donnie,
Thanks for the comments.  Sounds like a great fit for both of you.

You guys have fishing around there?   ;D

Dave Greene

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Re: Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« Reply #9 on: July 14, 2010, 08:11:13 PM »
My son lives in the area and I have played the course twice while visiting. They do a very good job with the young men. Except for a couple of quirky spots the Bobby Weed course is very good. I would go back to play any time. A good news story all around.

Dave Greene

Kevin Pallier

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Re: Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« Reply #10 on: July 14, 2010, 09:13:47 PM »
John

Was DB in his shorts ?  ;D

Seriously - thanks for that a great read und kudos to Donnie for his involvement.

John Mayhugh

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Re: Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« Reply #11 on: July 14, 2010, 09:33:49 PM »
John

Was DB in his shorts ?  ;D

Seriously - thanks for that a great read und kudos to Donnie for his involvement.

In shorts, but not the ones you're thinking of.

Carl Johnson

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Re: Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« Reply #12 on: July 14, 2010, 09:47:50 PM »
For what it's worth, my personal experience with Glen Mills, elaborating on my earlier post on GCA.  The "reform schools" in Pennsylvania have traditionally been privately run.   Whether there are similar government-run schools today, I do not know.  Glen Mills was started by the Quakers but apparently is now independent.  From 1956 to 1960 I attended a private Quaker boarding school near Glen Mills, so close in fact that from our campus you could easily see the Glen Mills buildings over the farm fields (now intersected with subdivisions).  Our teams played basketball and ran track against Glen Mills.  Once they brought some players over to our campus for basketball, but mostly we visited them.  I ran track at Glen Mills and played basketball against Glen Mills.

The basketball experience was very interesting to a boy from West Virginia who'd led a relatively sheltered life.  The "gym" had a cement floor, and the backboards were mounted flush on the walls at each end of the court.  "Spectators" were ushered in for brief periods of time -- maybe one group each quarter.  I don't recall the specifics.  They were accompanied by armed guards.

When Glen Mills built the golf course, 10 to 20 years ago, as I recall, I read about it in SI or a golf magazine.  Five years ago when I went back to my 45th high school class reunion I went over to Glen Mills to play the course and as a single was paired to play with three others, a father and his two adult sons.  My perception at time was that the land was not great golf land, and some of the holes were a little "quirky" (as also noted above) I thought, but that the mission was laudable.  Not surprisingly, the grill does not serve alcohol, and you are not allowed to bring alcohol on the property.  Beyond that, Glen Mills, as a "reform school," has apparently come a long way from the prison-like environment of the 1950s.  http://www.glenmillsschool.org/

« Last Edit: July 14, 2010, 09:55:00 PM by Carl Johnson »

Scott Warren

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Re: Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« Reply #13 on: July 14, 2010, 10:26:14 PM »
Fantastic story. There are a couple of similar shows in this neck of the woods and it's great to see these type of programs them give some recognition to the great goings on that the mainstream golf media wouldn't touch.

Having been through KP's Fishers Is pics a lot of times, I had a chuckle at the shorts comment!

Tom MacWood

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Re: Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« Reply #14 on: July 14, 2010, 10:26:29 PM »
Class act.

Joe Bausch

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Re: Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« Reply #15 on: July 14, 2010, 10:30:17 PM »
I'm sure I carp about a couple of holes there (although after several plays even they are beginning to grow on me!), but overall Glen Mills is wonderful.  Some pics:

http://www.golfarchitecturepictures.com/Web%20Galleries/USA/Pennsylvania/Glen%20Mills/index.html
@jwbausch (for new photo albums)
The site for the Cobb's Creek project:  https://cobbscreek.org/
Nearly all Delaware Valley golf courses in photo albums: Bausch Collection

Evan Fleisher

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Re: Golf in America featuring........Donnie Beck
« Reply #16 on: July 15, 2010, 10:55:25 AM »
Watched my DVR'd version of the program last night...good stuff!  I have always enjoyed this particular show and DVR every episode.  nice to see "one of our own" presented within during this episode.

Good on 'ya, Donnie!
Born Rochester, MN. Grew up Miami, FL. Live Cleveland, OH. Handicap 13.2. Have 26 & 23 year old girls and wife of 29 years. I'm a Senior Supply Chain Business Analyst for Vitamix. Diehard walker, but tolerate cart riders! Love to travel, always have my sticks with me. Mollydooker for life!