Sandy Milligan has taken his passion for golf and turned it into a way to teach young people—especially young Black girls—how to win at the game of life.
He developed the Black Heritage Tour Golf Challenge in 2020 when he was a coordinator for the First Tee Junior Golf Program. Through the effort, he realized he could raise money for college scholarships while “creating an environment enabling training and development for African American youth.”
Sportsmanship, integrity, judgment, work ethic, respect, leadership, loyalty, and responsibility are some of the values Milligan tries to cultivate in his golf clinic, tour, and scholarship programs.
These qualities are especially important in molding the next generation of Black women leaders. “We use fundamental drills to transform beginner golfers,” he says. “Mastering fundamentals lends to self-assurance and success.”
Milligan’s golf clinic serves more than 100 junior golfers for the season, and the junior tour attracts 40 junior golfers from the Greater Washington area each week on a seven-stop tour during the summer months. “We’re constantly attempting to reach out and assist more deserving and underserved juniors,” Milligan explains.
Each year Milligan funds three $1,500 scholarships to golfers attending a Historically Black College or University. Among these are young women golfers, including Alana Giles who is attending Maryland Eastern Shore University and Chanah Zaab attending Bowie State University.
The Black Heritage Tour Golf Challenge raised $8,000 last year and is aiming to double funds in 2024.
