Student Spotlight – Eunice Hahm
By The Fairfax Golf Academy Staff
Fairfax Golf Academy for young golfers aged 7 to 14 began in the Washington DC metropolitan area in 2015. Five gifted and talented golfers have been selected for scholarships, among them Eunice Hahm. At our tryout, all coaches were surprised by her athleticism and hand eye coordination. They were far beyond her age group.
Eunice was selected for our elite program and started training immediately. We have built a program for those selected students that include fitness, mental training and strategy. She became well known as she competed in local junior tournaments after just two years of golf experience. Her swing, tournament preparation and her short game were developed by coach Ty Park, a USGTF Master Golf Teaching Professional. Park’s 25 years of teaching experience and teaching skills were a catalyst to boost her growth in her game. She has won five local tournaments and had eight consecutive top-5 finishes in 2018 and 2019. Her goal is to play golf at the college level and beyond, and to help others with their skills. She is diverse in her skills, as she is a robotics instructor at the county community center, a math tutor at her church, and an assistant golf coach for The First Tee and the Fairfax Golf Academy. She is now a sophomore and in her second year on the West Springfield High School varsity golf team.
Eunice expects to play golf next season with higher expectations. As a team, she would like to win a state championship before her graduation. As a scholar, she would like to graduate with all A’s. We believe the connection with golf and our students. Our students’ effort and passion for the game motivates all of us. All coaches at the Fairfax Golf Academy support Eunice, and we are happy to see her reaching her goals.
Not to be confused with Steve Williams who used to caddy for Tiger Woods, USGTF professional and examiner Steve Williams has been immersed in golf for most of his life. He attended Fresno State where he won numerous college tournaments and earned conference player-of-the-year honors. Unfortunately, Williams developed back issues and was forced into retiring from playing golf from 1978 to 1992. Upon returning to playing, he competed in the Cypresswood Open in Texas, where he finished as runner-up out of 125 professionals. He also has two runner-up finishes in the United States Golf Teachers Cup.
Williams is also one of Texas’ most sought-after teaching professionals, having coached several playing professionals, among them PGA Tour winner J.L. Lewis. Recently, Williams has written a book titled Golf…The Great Revealer! According to Williams, “In this book, I share many of the thoughts and actions that touring pros know are vital to their success, but which few amateurs understand. Any golfer who wishes to play at or near their potential simply must do the same things or they will reach a plateau and go no further.” The book may be found on Amazon.
Williams is the owner of the Texas Golf Academy in Humble, Texas, where he continues to teach the game that has been so instrumental in his career and life.
WGTF member, Nazeer Tajudeen in Tanzania reports a steady increase in the golf industry with many new interests from locals in both Uganda and Kenya.
With the development of new courses the last few years, the demand for qualified golf instructors continues to rise!
Tanzania currently has 14 golf courses, while Kenya has 38 and South Africa has 450. Tanzania has a beautiful opportunity to become one of the popular destinations for golfers worldwide. 
The International PGA was conceived on the notion of welcoming and providing membership for every professional golfer, regardless of race, religion or national origin. It offers both PGA and WGTF members the opportunity to belong to a global body of professional golfers. The International PGA promotes career development and acts as one voice for individual professionals from every golfing nation. International PGA members are recognized and respected worldwide by both the public and golf management within the industry.
The International PGA accepts individual membership from active WGTF members and active or retired PGA members from every golfing nation. Each member must present proof of current affiliation within their own country, along with requests for International PGA membership. New members will only be accepted after having lodged an application which contains this required proof. Admission to the International PGA implies that new members recognize the International PGA constitution and code of ethics in accordance with professional integrity. For more information, please visit www.InternationalPGA.org.
WGTF TOP 50 TEACHERS AND HARVEY PENICK AWARD NOMINATIONS
Nominations for the WGTF Top 50 Teachers and the 2022 Harvey Penick Trophy for Excellence in Golf Teaching are now being accepted. All teachers who wish to be considered must submit their nominations. In addition, after a pandemic-induced two-year absence, the Harvey Penick Trophy will be awarded in 2022. The award is based on teaching accomplishments, service to the golf community and to the game in general.
All USGTF Certified Golf Teaching Professionals and Master Golf Teaching Professionals, are eligible to be nominated for both honors, with the exception that former winners of the Harvey Penick Trophy are ineligible for that award. Nominations (including self-nominations) may be made through email at 
USGTF professional Andre Springs’ introduction to golf came when his uncle took him to the golf course in North Carolina to help him pick up range balls when a young Andre was just 5 years old. He remembers seeing how well dressed the golfers were and the fact that they appeared to have money, and that appealed to the youngster.
Springs wound up picking up range balls through his senior year in high school, as well as getting playing privileges and developing a great golf game. Although he was cut from his team in 8th grade, in 9th grade he not only made the team, but was the Most Valuable Player. He earned a scholarship to Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. While there, he led his team to four Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association conference championships and earned NAIA all-American status.
His success led him to be named the head golf coach at Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina, in 1979 at the age of 20. His first year, he dismissed everyone from the team except for one player, as most of the team did not take practice or the game seriously. Within a short time, Springs’ teams had won five conference championships and three national championships in the National Minority College Championship (now known as the PGA Works Collegiate Championship). He left to go to Cleveland, Ohio, where he became the first black general manager in the city’s golf course system, at Highland Park. He then moved back to his hometown in North Carolina, Charlotte, where he met Johnny Harris, owner and president of the famed Quail Hollow Golf Course. Harris was in the process of building a new course, Birkdale, and he offered Springs a job. When Birkdale opened, Springs caddied that day for Arnold Palmer, the course designer. Harris eventually named Springs the head teaching professional at Birkdale. And by the way, while there, Springs fired a 66 which established the course record.
Proving that life sometimes comes full circle, Springs was asked to once again coach the Livingstone golf program in 2010. He also became the school’s athletic director, a position he left in 2016. Today, his Livingstone golf team is ranked #1 in Division II among the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the nation. Springs says he is lucky to have a president at the college who plays and appreciates golf and offers full support, and lists it as an important reason why he and his teams have been so successful at Livingstone. 
USGTF members teach players of all abilities, and some are teaching and coaching elite junior players. The place to play for the best junior players is with the American Junior Golf Association, better known as the AJGA. Most current PGA and American LPGA Tour players competed on this circuit, which is run very much like a professional tour. Tiger Woods, in his acceptance speech at his recent World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony, mentioned how his mom and dad took out a second mortgage on their home so a young Tiger could compete on the AJGA.
Today, golfers whose families lack the financial means to allow them to compete at this level may take advantage of the AJGA’s ACE Grant program. In order to compete on the circuit itself, players must be successful in other venues such as state, regional and national events in order to earn playing status with the AJGA, which is based on player merit. For more information on the AJGA, please visit