EWU student brings golf to Africa

Chloe Nelson has always loved golf. Since the age of eight, Nelson has practiced at home in Las Vegas, Nev. With her love of teeing off on the crisp, clean green, a passion for teaching the game was born.

Three years ago Nelson, a senior at EWU, went to a special event with her family called Event Management Body of Knowledge. The conference brings educators from Europe, Australia, Africa and the U.S. together to help bridge the gap between education and industry. There she met Janet Landey, who offered Nelson the chance of teaching golf to underprivileged children in South Africa.

"My golf coach back home in Las Vegas has a junior golf academy in Summerlin; that's where I have received many of my ideas. He was very happy with the fact that Janet approached me to use golf as their government standards tool kit for the event sports in South Africa," Nelson said.

With the help of Landey, Nelson's family and the International Special Events Society, Nelson was on her way to South Africa.

Each July, the Chloe Nelson Foundation holds clinics in such places like Soweto (Southwest Township), Grahamstown, Cape Town and Durban. In 2007 she stayed for two weeks and in 2008 she spent the month of July in South Africa. Nelson plans on expanding the clinic to a few more locations at some point in South Africa.

"Many of the clinics were held at Country clubs," said Nelson, "which was great for the students to see because they will know that there are lots more golf courses to play other than those they practice on."

When asked what the southern portion of the second largest continent in the world was like, Nelson said, "South Africa is a very interesting country. It is very rich in history from Cape Town to Durban to Johannesburg. The food there is amazing and the people there are not stuck in a consuming nation.

"Nothing is taken for granted there. The majority of people there are poor and when they are given an opportunity to experience something new they give it 110 percent every time."

Nelson went on to say that children loved the experience of trying something new and they found golf to be exciting. They all thanked her many times and told her she was making their day just a "little bit better."

Nelson donated her old golf clubs to Soweto Country Club to keep some of the students playing and practicing.

Nelson's goals have remained simple throughout her project, "My main goal would be to help some students be able to get good enough for a golf scholarship for college. I heard a couple stories that ended badly for some older golfers who were offered a scholarship in Dublin, Ireland, but couldn't afford the ticket over there. I want my foundation to help those students who have worked so hard to get so far but were stopped because of lack of money. I would love to be able to send those special few to college and be able to get an education to help better themselves as well as their families' lives."

Nelson is an interdisciplinary studies major with a minor in recreation and leisure. She plans to keep the program alive as long as she can. Anyone can join the Chloe Nelson Foundation and she is excited at the prospect of getting more people involved. Nelson can be contacted at snvchamp@aol.com.