Golf Instead of Guns | Paula Pearson Tucker

Fore Life, Inc.

Ep. 59 - Mentoring and building kids’ characters with golfing for the last 23 years, Paula Pearson-Tucker uses her skills to empower young people from the black community to embrace golf. Paula Pearson-Tucker is a role model for kids, passionate about teaching kids golf and ensuring her community and kids in the community get exposure to golf. Golf Instead of Guns is a national program and initiative powered by Fore Life, Inc., a not-for-profit 501c3 to share its simple and unique mentoring and golf programming in communities where juvenile crime and gun violence are prevalent. Listen in to learn how to be confident in your skills and purpose to achieve success. You will also learn how you can build and support the community and young people of the community that are marginalized.

Key Takeaways:

How to be successful by knowing your stuff and being confident in whatever you do
Why you should find your purpose to enjoy doing it and helping others while at it

"You get some not's in life, and it's going to help build your confidence. The more you do, and the more time you spend honing your craft, the better you're going to be, but you have to be confident." - Paula Pearson-Tucker

In this episode you’ll discover:

Paula on how being an athlete served her and helped her embrace life challenges [1:10]

How she ended up in a career in golf from the world of finance [3:52]

The importance of being knowledgeable in your field and confident to achieve success [6:15]

How golf became a purpose of giving back to black women and girls for Paula [9:07]

She mentions some of the young black women she’s mentoring to step fully into golfing [13:32]

How she’s been mentoring and building kids’ characters with golfing for the last 23 years [15:08]

The pulse, plan, picture, proceed strategy that they teach kids to develop character in the game [17:08]

She talks about the annual fundraiser event that supports young people in golf [20:15]

CAREER

Paula Pearson-Tucker is an LPGA Teaching and Club Professional and head golf professional for the City of Lauderhill. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of Fore Life, Inc. a not-for-profit organization she founded with Football Hall of Fame, Lawrence Taylor. Fore Life, Inc. uses golf and its decision-making skills to help vulnerable youth from underserved communities survive and succeed.

2009 Miami Dade College (MDC) Hall of Fame inductee, who, despite growing up in a neighborhood stricken with crime and violence, was determined to have a better life. “I never thought I could be a college student. But I got accepted.”

Paula Pearson-Tucker is a class A member of the LPGA Professions, she holds membership in the LPGA Legends Tour residing and instructing men, women, and youth in the game of golf and life.

Paula left a 14-year career in the financial services industry as a licensed broker to pursue her passion for golf. She moved back to Miami from Atlanta where she could play golf year-round and fulfill her desire to play professionally. In 2004, Paula Tucker turned professional and was a member of a developmental tour of the LPGA for over ten years.

During her time at MDC, Pearson-Tucker found support and mentorship through sports, crediting her coach to guiding her to completely change her focus and look outside her community and see everything she could be.

ACCOLADES

She was listed in the inaugural edition of “Who’s Who in Black South Florida (2007)” and is featured in the book “African American Women in Golf, Her Legacy” and Heroines of African American Golf by M. Mikell Johnson, Ph.D.

EDUCATION

Paula holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida in Journalism and Communications where she majored in Public Relation and Early Childhood Education.