Last week during the PGA TOUR Northern Trust Open, John Mallinger greeted youngsters affiliated with The First Tee of South Los Angeles. On Tuesday of tournament week, Mallinger got in his car and headed toward 98th Street, home to The First Tee facility situated at the par-3 Maggie Hathaway Golf Course. Once there Mallinger gave a clinic for two hours, teaching the assembled junior golfers about the golf swing. Mallinger also encouraged the youth to not only play golf but to set goals, both in golf and in life. He finished his day by holding a putting contest and throwing in a three-hole challenge on the course for some of the more experienced players. “It is important that we, as PGA TOUR pros, are willing to reach out to inner-city children whenever possible to promote golf,” Mallinger said. “Kids are the foundation of golf’s future. This was a unique opportunity for me to build into kids who, if it weren’t for The First Tee, might otherwise not get the exposure to our sport. It was a lot of fun, and I hope they all learned a little more about the golf swing.” Click to check out the full story and video on the PGA TOUR website.
