In 2021, Congaree Foundation and Coastal Carolina University (CCU) partnered in the creation of the CONGAREE FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP. This year, the Foundation is thrilled to announce its first recipient.
Jones Saylor, A 2022 graduate of the Congaree Global Golf Initiative will enroll in CCU’S PGA GOLF MANAGEMENT PROGRAM this fall. A native of Bluffton, SC, Saylor recently completed a stellar senior year in the classroom where he graduated with a 4.91 GPA and on the course where he earned All-Region honors and was select to the prestigious North-South Competition.
The scholarship is awarded annually to up to one student. To be eligible, they must be entering the University as full-time freshman in the PGA Golf Management program, have participated in Congaree Foundation programming, and be a South Carolina resident. The scholarship was established by Mike Pruitt, a friend of Congaree, who has a passion for CCU and the Congaree Foundation mission. The scholarship will cover all tuition and academic fees through all four years of a student’s college career. In addition to receiving the Congaree Foundation Scholarship, Pruitt has established an individual endowment to provide additional financial support of housing, meals, and other non-academic fees.
Following CGGI, Saylor worked closely with the Congaree Foundation team to assess his college options and determine the right fit to achieve his educational and professional goals. Congaree Foundation sat down with Saylor ahead his freshman year at CCU to discuss his decision to become a Chanticleer and what the CGGI experience meant to him.
Q: Why did you feel that Coastal Carolina University and the Professional Golf Management program was the right fit for you?
A: When I visited the campus last November, I loved how it felt like a true college setting. It was secluded on its own and not a campus placed in the middle of a city. Even though it is a relatively smaller campus by acreage, it still felt like it was its own place and town within the Conway area. Meeting with the PGM folks, I felt that I was going to be entering a family aspect within my college life and that they were going to be the support system for anything I needed while I was there. The feeling of being a part of a family within my degree program really made me feel at home. Everything about Coastal, with the PGM program, campus, and the student body atmosphere throughout the day and at athletic events, just really made me feel like I had found the place I was meant to be.
Q: What does it mean to you and your family to have your college expenses covered by this scholarship?
A: It’s truly a blessing to have my college expenses covered by the scholarship. Throughout high school, I always expected that I would have to go through a process of applying for multiple scholarships to be able to cover a lot of my expenses, and then possibly have to come out of pocket for any remaining amount. To be able to have my expenses covered is a blessing from above.
Q: How did your experience at CGGI help prepare you for college?
A: My experience at CGGI helped prepare me for college through the scheduling and all the knowledge provided during the week. Mr. Ed Graf (CGGI Academic Advisor) provided us with a lot of helpful information about the admissions process and what we should expect in a college setting. The entire team helped prepare us through their continued support as we finished high school and now as I prepare to begin college. I know they will always be there to help us if we were to need anything while in college.
Q: What are your goals for your time at Coastal and after you complete the PGM program?
A: While I am at Coastal, I am looking forward to meeting new people from around the country and earning a degree from a highly accredited business program. I believe that Coastal gives me all the tools I need to succeed later in life. After completing the PGAM Program, I hope I am able to give back to the future of the game that has become such a big part of my life throughout my childhood and help grow the game for future generations to enjoy.
Q: Is there anything you would like to say to the Congaree Foundation team and Ambassadors who help make this scholarship possible?
A: I would like to thank all the people involved who made this possible. Being selected for CGGI was life-changing for me and to be graced with such an amazing opportunity is humbling. Thank you to the entire CGGI team for all of your continued support throughout this entire process. Also, I want to thank all of the Ambassadors at Congaree for your support of the Foundation’s mission and what it provides to kids like myself. I cannot wait to represent Congaree and the Congaree Foundation the next 4 years at school.
Conway, S.C., Oct. 26, 2021 — Congaree Foundation, whose mission is to positively impact the lives of young people locally and around the globe through the game of golf, today announced in partnership with Coastal Carolina University (CCU) the creation of the Congaree Foundation Scholarship for the University’s PGA Golf Management program.
Beginning with the 2022-23 academic year, the Congaree Foundation Scholarship will be awarded annually to one incoming undergraduate student at CCU. Eligible students will be entering the University as full-time, first-year students in the PGA Golf Management program, will have participated in Congaree Foundation programming, and must be South Carolina residents.
“Congaree Foundation is the heart of Congaree Golf Club and drives its philanthropic mission to positively impact the lives of young people in South Carolina and across the globe who share a passion for golf,” said Bruce Davidson, director of golf at Congaree. “We are excited to partner with Coastal Carolina University to offer the Congaree Foundation Scholarship and provide financial resources that will enable ambitious students to pursue their dreams of working in the golf industry.”
The PGA Golf Management program at CCU, established in 1999, prepares students for a successful career in the golf industry by combining academic studies and a professional golf-training curriculum. Completion of the program allows graduates to pursue careers as club or teaching professionals, golf association administrators, representatives of golf equipment manufacturers or trade publications, and many more exciting opportunities in the ever-growing golf industry.
“The Congaree Foundation Scholarship represents a great opportunity for students entering Coastal Carolina’s PGM program,” said CCU President Michael T. Benson. “We are very thankful for the Congaree Foundation’s support of the University. Together, we share a commitment to enhancing the educational opportunities for South Carolina residents.”
The scholarship will cover the recipient’s tuition and fees and can be received throughout the student’s four-year, full-time enrollment in the University’s PGA Golf Management program. Congaree Foundation will provide a list of qualified candidates to CCU each spring, from which the school will select the final scholarship recipient for the upcoming fall semester.
“We are excited and looking forward to having a young woman or man from the Congaree Foundation as part of our Coastal Carolina University and our PGA Golf Management program family,” said Will Mann, director of CCU’s PGA Golf Management program.
Coastal Carolina alumnus Mike Pruitt, who is a member of the Coastal Educational Foundation board of directors and a proponent of the Congaree Foundation Scholarship program, said: “I’ve had the good fortune of helping more than 30 students from CCU’s PGM program get internships at Grandfather Golf and Country Club in North Carolina during the past 18 years. The quality of the young people who have come through has been outstanding. It’s my hope to grow the game of golf with Congaree and Coastal forever more.”
Since its establishment in 2017, Congaree Foundation funding and programming have provided substantial benefits to South Carolina organizations such as the Lowcountry Food Bank and Boys & Girls Club of the Lowcountry, including a $167,000 grant to establish the Congaree Career Launch program for underserved youth. Its flagship collegiate preparatory program, the Congaree Global Golf Initiative, has produced more than 102 graduates from 16 countries, 95% whom have attended college and 37 age-eligible students out of 60 who have graduated high school and gone on to play collegiate golf.
For more information about Congaree Foundation, please visit HTTPS://CONGAREEFOUNDATION.ORG. To learn more about CCU’s PGA Golf Management program, please visit HTTPS://WWW.COASTAL.EDU/BUSINESS/PGA.
Former PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour player Michael Sims recently joined efforts to #rechargethesarge by walking and playing 108 holes in one day to benefit Sergeant Jasper Golf Club, raising over $7,000 from his efforts.
Ongoing support for Sergeant Jasper from players at all levels of the game has underscored the role that the Congaree Foundation continues to play in the golf community – both locally and around the globe.
The #rechargethesarge campaign was initiated by former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover, a Congaree Professional Ambassador who played the course in April with fellow PGA TOUR stars JT Poston and Davis Love III. These players, alongside Stewart Cink, Harold Varner III and others pledged to donate for every birdie and eagle they scored during the 2021 RBC Heritage. The players raised more than $17,000 that helped pay for a new irrigation system at the club.
Sims, a friend of Glover’s since their days competing against each other in junior golf events, became aware of this initiative when he attended the Palmetto Championship at Congaree in June. He then hatched the idea to use his participation in the Hundred Hole Hike event hosted by the North County Junior Golf Association at Goat Hill Park in Oceanside, California, to raise money for “The Sarge.” His walking 108-hole round raised over $7,000 through donations submitted via the event’s FUNDRAISING SITE. Sims’ donation, amongst others, will ultimately allow the Congaree Foundation to nurse Sergeant Jasper back to life and offer local high school golf teams the chance to establish a home course at no cost.
“When I heard about The Sarge and its affiliation with the Congaree Foundation, it just seemed like a no brainer to create this fundraiser! Golf has been special in my life and being able to give back by doing something like the 108-hole hike and ultimately giving back to the Jasper County community is what it is all about,” Sims said.
“The Sarge,” which was acquired by the Congaree Foundation in March, aims to make a difference in the lives of local golfers and youth in Jasper County. The club, which has been a staple in the community since the 1960s, will offer an affordable, quality course for local golfers and provide a free home for area high school golf teams. The Congaree Foundation has been blown away by the support for #rechargethesarge and the campaign will surely leave a lasting mark on future generations.
Lucas Glover, 2009 U.S. Open champion and three-time winner on the PGA Tour, has created a campaign to raise funds and help revitalize Sergeant Jasper Golf Club, a historic nine-hole course that was acquired by Congraree Foundation earlier this year.
Sergeant Jasper is an extension of Congaree Foundation’s mission to positively impact the lives of young people through the game of golf. Congaree Foundation will provide access to the club for local high school golf teams who will utilize Sergeant Jasper as their home course. In addition to expanding access to the game for students, the course will provide an affordable option for other Lowcountry residents and create jobs that provide an opportunity for individuals to learn new skills to equip them for careers in the region’s booming golf industry.
The campaign, dubbed #rechargethesarge by Glover on Instagram, will see Glover donate $100 for every birdie he makes this week at the PGA TOUR’s RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, SC. He will donate $500 for every eagle he makes.
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Davis Love III, two-time U.S. Ryder Cup captain and 21-time winner on the PGA Tour, and J.T. Poston, winner of the 2019 Wyndham Championship, are among other tour professionals who are participating.
“As an Ambassador of Congaree, and someone who is passionate about providing access to the game of golf, the efforts to help and maintain The Sarge are something that are near and dear to my heart,” Glover said. “I’m committed to putting my full energy and support behind it.”
Founded in the late 1960s, Sergeant Jasper Country Club was a world-class 18-hole facility that once hosted the likes of Jack Nicklaus. But through the years, the crowds decreased and the course was downsized to just nine holes.
CONGAREE FOUNDATION acquired the facility and it reopened March 2, 2021. The Sarge quickly has become home to three local high school teams that play at no cost and access to the course will offer an opportunity for other area high schools to create new boys and girls golf programs. The club also plans to host events for the local First Tee chapter.
Since its inception in 2016, Congaree Foundation’s efforts to improve lives through golf stretch well beyond the Lowcountry. In partnership with the award-winning Congaree Golf Club, the Foundation hosts underserved and ambitious high school students for the Congaree Global Golf Initiative.
Students from across the globe participate in an intensive, weeklong camp that provides golf instruction and college admission prep. The Foundation also supports youth golf instruction for area high school students, supports the Lowcountry Food Bank, and has partnered with the Boys & Girls Club of Jasper County to launch a job readiness and career development program for area teens.
Congaree Golf Club, a Tom Fazio-design which opened in 2017 is also located in Ridgeland, South Carolina, about 30 minutes north of Savannah, Georgia. It will host the PGA TOUR’S PALMETTO CHAMPIONSHIP on June 10-13, 2021, the week before the U.S. Open.
Congaree Foundation in partnership with Congaree Golf Club is dedicated to positively impacting the lives of young people locally and around the globe through the game of golf. Today, the Foundation announced another important milestone in pursuit of its larger mission with the acquisition of Sergeant Jasper Golf Club in Ridgeland, South Carolina. The new, revamped Sergeant Jasper Golf Club will support access to the game of golf by providing a new home to area high school teams, as well as a quality public course for the Lowcountry community.
Beginning March 2, 2021, local golfers can tee off at the refreshed nine-hole course. The facility will also support local jobs and provide an opportunity for individuals to learn new skills, serving as a pipeline of talent for other public and private golf courses in the region.
When it opens, Sergeant Jasper will be home to three local high school teams that will play at no cost. Access to the course also will offer an opportunity for area high schools to establish new boys and girls golf programs. In addition, the club will host events for the local First Tee chapter.
Since its inception, Congaree Foundation has been dedicated to growing youth golf in Jasper County, and in 2018, the Foundation hosted its first ever girls golf instruction. At the time, more than 100 young women at Ridgeland-Hardeeville High School signed up. Due to the program’s overwhelming success, it was expanded to include more students from Ridgeland-Hardeeville, as well as Polaris Tech Charter School. So far, nearly 300 students have been introduced to the sport through this program.
Congaree Foundation’s efforts to improve lives through the game of golf stretch well beyond the Lowcountry. In partnership with the award-winning Congaree Golf Club, the Foundation hosts underserved and well-deserving high school students for the Congaree Global Golf Initiative. Students from across the globe, including many from South Carolina and Georgia, participate in an intensive, weeklong camp that provides golf instruction and college admission prep.
“The acquisition of Sergeant Jasper is a natural continuation of the Congaree Foundation mission – to positively impact the lives of young people locally and around the globe by providing opportunities through the game of golf,” said John McNeely, executive program director for Congaree Foundation. “The re-opening of the course reflects our commitment to serve the local community.”
Last month, the Foundation continued its ongoing support to the Jasper County community by partnering with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry. A grant of $167,000 was donated to create the Congaree Career Launch program. This initiative will provide young adults with career and educational opportunities that will lead to economic and career stability in the future. Participants will receive their first job at a Boys & Girls Club and take courses in financial literacy, job readiness and career development training to preparethem for future career endeavors.
Founded in the late 1960s, Sergeant Jasper Country Club was a top-notch 18-hole private country club that famously hosted Jack Nicklaus. Through the years, golf crowds have decreased, and the course has downsized to nine holes. Congaree Foundation is looking forward to making Sergeant Jasper a full-service course for the entire community to enjoy.
The Congaree Foundation is dedicated to supporting our local community, and we are excited to announce a new, multi-year grant to our community partners at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry. The three-year, $167,000 grant will be used to establish and fund a job readiness and career development program called “Congaree Career Launch.” This program will connect underserved youth in Jasper County to careers and educational pathways that lead to economic stability and future success. The funding will support access and exposure to workforce opportunities in the hospitality and other industries represented in the Lowcountry region.
Key components of the Congaree Career Launch program will include:
Job Readiness/Career Development training that emphasizes the development of knowledge, attitudes and skills that prepare participants to obtain employment and succeed in their chosen field.
Money Matters, a program that helps young people learn financial literacy and independence, such as managing a checkbook, creating a budget, saving and investing, and how to pay for college.
Junior Staff program that allows Boys & Girls Club teens to be hired on a part-time basis to assist in the management and execution of many programs conducted within Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry. This provides teens hands-on work experience that can help them obtain other jobs, while providing a chance to earn money.
The Congaree Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry share a commitment to helping young people access opportunities for training and education that will lead to economic stability and independence.
“At Congaree and the Congaree Foundation, we have always been impressed by the hard work of the Boys & Girls Club and the incredible impact that they have on Jasper County’s youth. The educational and mentoring opportunities created by the Boys & Girls Club are vital, and we are honored to continue to support this important community partner,” said Bruce Davidson, Director of Golf at Congaree.
The Boys & Girls Club will work with Jasper County businesses to identify potential job opportunities for graduates of the program. Walmart, Peacock Automotive and Dominion Energy have indicated an interest in becoming corporate partners with the program.
“It is my pleasure to support an initiative that focuses on developing the career potential of our teens in Jasper County,” said Warner Peacock, President and CEO of Peacock Automotive. “As a local business owner, I personally know the value of having a qualified workforce in our community. I’m glad to be able to contribute to a program which furthers that effort.”
“With the partnership of the Congaree Foundation we believe we can create an integrated curriculum/program that will greatly benefit the underserved youth of Jasper County, while at the same time fulfill our shared mission,” said Chris Protz, Executive Director, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lowcountry.
