Standing on the first tee at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois, Brooks Johnson took a moment to quell her nerves as she prepared for her opening tee shot. At this point in the year, tens of thousands of golfers have stood on the same tee, but these conditions were quite different.
Because not only was Johnson less than a year removed from picking up her first golf club, but she was now playing in front of media members, spectators, sponsors and PGA TOUR player Ben Taylor in the John Deere Classic Pro-Am.
This moment would be nerve-wracking for most amateurs, but not Johnson. She credits her composure to the fundamentals she gained through the LPGA Amateurs Grads to Golf program, which was held over several weeks during the fall of 2023 at North Carolina State University. Sponsored by John Deere, the inaugural program introduced dozens of female Agriculture majors at NC State to golf through classroom sessions and playing lessons.
“When I first heard about this program, I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn something new and make some connections, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect to end up playing in a PGA TOUR Pro-Am,” Johnson explained. “I mean, throughout the whole experience, I was just like, ‘I can’t believe John Deere invited me to do this’ because it was so different than anything I had ever done before.”
None of this would have ever happened if Johnson had not signed up for the inaugural Grads to Golf program in 2023. Developed by the LPGA Amateur Golf Association, this concept sought out to introduce female college students to the game. All that was missing was a pilot school for the first iteration of the program. That’s where John Deere came in.
A longtime supporter of the LPGA Tour, John Deere and its leadership team expressed interest in supporting this pilot program at NC State University, specifically. The first reason was due to proximity. NC State is just 10 miles from John Deere’s office in Cary, North Carolina. The second related to education. NC State boasts a strong Agricultural program, with female students increasingly signing up for the major. For John Deere, this was the perfect opportunity to use golf to provide those women with the resources and tools needed to make connections and secure deals on the course and in the boardroom.
The seven-week program was led by local LPGA Professional Joellyn Crooks, who taught classroom sessions as well as golf lessons at NC State’s Lonnie Pool Golf Course. In addition to the weekly on-site training, John Deere hosted the participants at headquarters for a lunch lesson featuring female executives from the company. To round out the program, Johnson and her fellow classmates were treated to a graduation golf outing where local amateurs and John Deere employees came out to play nine holes. After just seven weeks in the program, it was evident to everyone just how successful it was.
“I think my biggest takeaway from this program is seeing the confidence these ladies build right from the start,” said Allison Cooney, Golf Market Development Manager at John Deere. “From my first exposure to them in the office and the corporate setting to then onto the golf course, you see their confidence grow professionally as well as in golf.”
This certainly applied to Johnson, who despite having little knowledge of the new program, chose to drop one of her classes at the start of the school year to make room for Grads to Golf. That decision paid off tenfold.
“Initially, I figured if nothing less, I’d be able to make some friends and learn a new sport,” Johnson explained. “But I found so much more than that through Grads to Golf. I not only found a new passion, but I discovered that golf is something that helps you grow as a person, and it can lead to some of the best connections in your life.
“I also love how John Deere is using this program to help women make their mark in two industries where they have typically had to fight for some respect.”
Since completing the program, Johnson has leaned on the leadership lessons and mentorships provided by John Deere’s team to round out her college education, earning a major in Agriculture and minors in Economics and Entrepreneurship. But just when Johnson thought she was done with Grads to Golf, her mentors at John Deere came calling with an opportunity that was simply too good to resist. They offered her the chance to play with them in the John Deere Classic Pro-Am.
Equally excited and nervous, Johnson agreed. To prepare for this experience, Johnson used the weeks leading up to the Pro-Am to practice day-in and day-out. Much of this practice featured drills she learned from Crooks through Grads to Golf. Once all of this preparation had been completed, Johnson hopped on a plane for Illinois.
“It’s funny, because I still have friends who haven’t seen me play, and they were all like, ‘Oh my gosh, you must be really good getting to play with the pros and all.’ And I was like, ‘You would be surprised,’” Johnson recalled with a laugh. “But then for my boyfriend and his friends who are big golfers, they knew how cool of an opportunity this was and they really rallied around me which meant a lot.”
As the plane prepared to touch down, Johnson’s nerves and self-doubt began to creep in. She just couldn’t help but think about her lack of experience and playing alongside professionals. Lucky for Johnson, however, a familiar face from Grads to Golf was on her flight. That was none other than Liz Cooper, the Senior Director for Membership & Events for the LPGA Amateur Golf Association and an organizer of the program. Cooper quickly noticed how Johnson was feeling, and took time to quell her nerves by explaining how this is just for fun and that plenty of amateurs hit bad shots in these Pro-Ams.
From there, Johnson chose to enjoy the experience and everything it offered, which proved to be a lot. In fact, from the moment she stepped on property, Johnson felt like royalty.
“I just kept thinking, ‘I can’t believe they invited me to do this’ because from the hotel to the golf course, I was treated like one of the pros,” she explained. “Everyone was just so nice, from the tournament staff to John Deere’s team. Even before stepping on the course for the Pro-Am, I was having the time of my life making connections and watching the golfers practice from box seats behind No. 18.”
Johnson’s tournament experience also included a special golf outing with John Deere’s team the day before the official tournament Pro-Am. She recalled just how fun it was to play alongside Cooney, Cooper and Kim Ehasz, Global Manager of Golf Market Development & Strategy for John Deere. As someone who worked her way up through the company, Ehasz has reveled in her opportunity to mentor students like Johnson through Grads to Golf.
“I started as a secretary with Deere and now I’ve been able to grow my career to where I’m at and I think being able to share those stories with the girls is crucial to their development,” Ehasz explained. “It proves that everyone’s path is different. You see people who are in corporate roles, whether they’re in leadership or whether they’re just starting out and you’re kind of like, ‘Well, I don’t have any idea how to get there,’ but with us being able to share our stories with them, I think it gives them insight as to what they could possibly do in the future too.”
This same group played together in the John Deere Classic Pro-Am, marking the first time in tournament history where an all-female team competed. This could not have been more fitting for the Grads to Golf group, which even had female caddies on the bags.
All that was left at this point was to find out which pros they were playing with. It ended up being Taylor on the front nine and PGA TOUR winner Nick Dunlap on the back. For Johnson, who admittedly had not watched a ton of golf, this experience proved how talented the players are, and just how challenging the sport can be.
“It was just so cool getting to be that close to them and to see how far they hit the ball,” Johnson said. “Like, when you’re watching on TV and stuff, they make it look so easy, but to go out on that course and watch up close, it really put things in perspective. I remember telling my boyfriend when I got home how the course was like nothing he had ever played in terms of difficulty and length.”
Johnson was also a bit surprised by just how accommodating and kind the players were. She explained how Taylor spent a majority of his nine holes giving her putting tips and encouraging her when she didn’t hit the best shots. This really helped her to go out and play freely, which was something Ehasz certainly noticed.
“One of the things I kept saying is, ‘You know, how many 21-22-23-year-olds, especially young ladies, can have the courage to go to a Pro-Am where two different pros help them to line up a putt or improve their swing?’” Ehasz said. “I don’t know if I would have been able to carry myself the way she did. Like Brooks engaged right away and was shaking hands and had the confidence to be out there and carry those conversations, even as we were walking down the fairways. Which, let’s be real, can be very intimidating. But I never saw her kind of cower back or anything like that, and for someone who can be a bit shy and reserved, it was really cool to see her come out of her shell in those situations.”
Much of this can be credited to Johnson’s personality and the way she was raised, but Grads to Golf also played a factor in preparing her for opportunities like this.
“Each time we interact with Brooks and the other alumnae, it’s cool to see them continue to develop, grow and blossom into great young adults,” said Cooney. “For example, I knew very quickly that Brooks was willing to learn and grow, asking questions, trying to learn about golf as well as John Deere. She struck me because she took a lot of initiative to go out of her way to learn and try new things.”
After completing the round, which featured several birdies and plenty of laughs, Johnson departed Silvis, Illinois, with a brand-new perspective and appreciation for Grads to Golf.
“I’ll always be an advocate for Grads to Golf,” Johnson explained. “Since taking part in the program, I want to help get more girls into the game. I want to be a mentor for girls who feel like they don’t belong in golf or Agriculture for that matter. I know I was one of those girls for a long time, but Grads to Golf really changed that for me, and now I feel confident approaching situations where I would have been more apprehensive before. You know, like playing in a PGA TOUR Pro-Am.”
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