NFJG End of Season Banquet! 081617

From Facebook Post: #NFJG 2016-2017 Season has ended with a Foundation Girls PLAYER of the YEAR Award! AA earned it playing in many tournaments from the red tees, against girls age 13 and under (plus a few boys too). She won the Fall, Spring and Summer Season Awards, the POY Award and the newly created Jack Nicklaus Award (for Foundation Girls). So proud darling child of ours! Good job young daughter! You work daily at playing the game and you have no idea where it will take you but you are who you are, a wonderful child - "because you play the game of golf"! Love you and congratulations! Thank you to Jack and the NFJG Staff, plus our cheering squad tonight, daughter Leaa Morgan Cruce, son Justin, our Eagle Harbor friends and Coach Kathy Grant Nyman! #AlyzabethMorganGolf
Bill Hughes began the program with a moving talk about "because you play the game of golf". Many examples of how golf demands honesty, character, respect, etc. 

Lynne Kirkpatrick (NFJG Staff, Tee It Up Coordinator, proponent of growing the game).

All trophy recipients:

Players Course Clubhouse:

Foundation Boys with last tournament championship trophy or POY trophy:

Glad we invited Justin and Leaa; wasn't able to visit much once the program began:

Foundation Girls Player of the Year:

Director Jack Aschenbach:

NFJG Staff with speaker Emily Tillo. Emily congratulated and spoke to AA, her speech was very telling about how to get from learning the game to a college team (Boston). She said many times that "the club is in my hand" and "there is always the next shot".

Leaving the Sawgrass Players Clubhouse (TPC) with Coach Kathy; Kathy met up with many old friends and met a few new ones, she knew the speaker Emily back when she was involved with NFJG.

Before the banquet, in the bar, we met Ken Branholm (FL/GA Windows/NFJG Sponsor) and his niece Heather visiting from Alaska! Also, loved the door prizes, AA opened her envelop (randomly selected by her) to find three prizes - a dozen golf balls that she actually uses plus a $150 wedge club, and a Titlist Hat! Great prizes!

Jack Nicklaus Award - First year awarding:

Trophy from the August 1st Tournament:

AA and I exchanged writings during the banquet. Words like "Goals", I love you, and I'm hungry!! 

Next year will be very different as NFJG is combining the Foundation Boys and Girls together. Hopefully if more girls join, they will create an intermediate group for 12 - 14 year olds, as right now there is only the Foundation 9-Holes (red tees) or 18-Holes (white tees). Something in between like 18-Holes from red/green tees would be good. Thank you to NFJG!
The following week, Kathy Nyman posted her version of "... because I play golf..". 
Kathy wrote: "Because I Play Golf...... 
I strive to do better (always) 
I became an entrepreneur 
I have a great career in golf 
I follow the rules 
I did not say yes to the wrong people 
I found my husband who loves golf too 
I got a college education 
I am surrounded by good people 
I have an excuse to visit really awesome places to play golf 
I have patience 
I am always working on controlling my emotions 
I learned I can bounce back from bad breaks 
I am creative 
I know my learning style 
I know how to concentrate 
I know how to take aim and seek my target 
I learned to never quit before the miracle happens..... Thank you to Bill Hughes for an awesomely inspiring talk at the NFJG Awards Banquet at TPC last Wednesday. You lift people up in an amazing way."