Fairway Outreach was founded approximately twenty-five years ago with the goal of giving youngsters from diverse backgrounds a chance to enjoy the great game of golf in a wholesome setting where the Christian faith is at the core of our values. Fairway Outreach has a longstanding relationship with The Fellowship of Christian Athletes and hundreds of our youngsters have attended The FCA Golf Camps over the years.
Fairway Outreach’s history is full of such heart-warming stories including our humble beginnings. Bobby Foster, founder of Fairway Outreach, started the program with eight youngsters from Carolina Children’s Home. Bobby taught these youngsters the fundamentals of the game on Sunday afternoons and then took them to a Fellowship Of Christian Athletes Golf Camp in Pinehurst, N.C. Some twenty years later one of those youngsters and his wife came up to Bobby and his wife, Carolyn, at a movie theater. After all the introductions were made, the young man said, “Mr. Foster, I just want you to know that I still play golf and I’ve taught my wife how to play.”
There’s also the story of Danny Priester. Danny was introduced to golf through Fairway Outreach and then played golf for legendary coach, Harry Huntley, at A.C. Flora High School. He then played on the golf team at The US Military at West Point, where he was also on the boxing team. Danny, who is now a First Lieutenant and has served our country in Iraq, graciously drove to Columbia from Ft. Benning, Ga. to speak to our kids at our 2010 Fairway Outreach Christmas party. He was quite an inspiration as he spoke of his Christian faith and the valuable lessons he learned at West Point and in Iraq regarding perseverance, leadership and teamwork. He closed his talk by telling our youngsters, “I might be quite a bit older than you guys, but I’m still a member and always will be a member of Fairway Outreach."
Will Godfrey started with Fairway Outreach five years ago because he wanted to learn how to play golf. Will has indeed learned to play, as he became the second youngest person to win the Columbia City Men’s Golf Championship in 2011. After graduation in May, Will plans will attend Francis Marion College on a golf scholarship in the fall of 2012.
Just as significant, Will’s Dreher High School teammate and fellow Fairway Outreach participant, Devon Kilgore, has excelled in the classroom. Devon has earned full academic scholarship offers from both Clemson and The Citadel and will attend one of these two schools in fall of 2012.
Fairway Outreach was initially funded through profits from The Columbia City Golf Tournament. The tournament has continued to help fund the program for the last twenty-three years.
