GameOn
THE SHORES of Lake Norman SEPTEMBER 2020
42 LAKE NORMAN CURRENTS
How one couple is transforming youth golf instruction in Lake Norman and beyond by Sara Coleman | photography by On Camber Creative
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here are those who enjoy the occasional round of golf among friends or business associates. But Ysreen and Jeff Shores are not those people. Not only do they love playing golf themselves, they’ve built their entire livelihood and lifestyle to make sure the game of golf continues to grow, especially among the youth. Even the story of how they met is related to golf. He was a Head Golf Professional at a club in California and she was playing there with a group of friends. The friends asked Jeff
to join their round but he said he was too busy. However, once he laid eyes on Ysreen, he determined his schedule was suddenly “open.” They played a round of golf together, and the rest as they say, is history.
An idea is born It was after Jeff took a job as the Head Golf Professional at Carolina Country Club in Spartanburg, S.C. that he realized there was a gap in the instruction of how youth were being taught the game of golf. Jeff says, “Unless you were a
member of a club, there wasn’t always an easy way to learn the fundamentals or have access to quality instruction.” This gave the Shores an idea. They wanted to create an after-school enrichment program centered around the idea of making golf enjoyable and accessible while working with kids in their familiar school environment. They wanted to connect local golf professionals to kids of all ages and backgrounds—a first in the golf instruction industry. The Shores got to work
and formed Golf Squad. They onboarded several schools in Spartanburg, and then a few more. It wasn’t long before they realized the potential to take the program across the Southeast and eventually nationwide. This was ten years ago. Since then, Golf Squad has partnered with thousands of schools and golf professionals across the country to continue their mission of growing the game of golf. Not only is it a great opportunity for kids to learn, but Ysreen points out “it