A North Texas golf professional is helping to rediscover the charm of one of Southern Dallas’s most iconic golf courses while using the game he loves to make a difference in the community around him.
“A fantastic piece of property and we’re proud of it. We think it’s a real gem for the city of Dallas. And I think people have forgotten that, and we’re reminding them,” said golfer Ira Molayo.
Every time Molayo sees Cedar Crest golf course in Southern Dallas he is reminded it is not only a location to fulfill his passion of being a golf professional and promoter – it’s also a platform to make a difference.
“Golf is a sport that brings the best out of you,” Molayo said. “It’s an individual sport, you’re depending on yourself a lot, you have to make a lot of decisions. Even when you don’t have everything you need, you’ve still got to figure out a way to make it happen.”
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Which describes Molayo’s approach to revitalizing Cedar Crest beginning in 2007, when he decided to accept the position as head pro at a golf course that was in desperate need of restoration.
“The golf course was in pretty poor shape,” Molayo said. “What was going in and around the golf course was not the element that was conducive to having a public establishment. So we had to take care of a lot of those things when I came on board.”
He began to make noticeable changes quickly on the course, with his passion evident while discussing fairways and greens nearing the full bloom that comes with spring, while also dreaming of growing the game with kids in the area, by launching the “I Am a Golfer Foundation” that provides golf teaching, part-time employment and even scholarships to kids, hoping to make lasting change with a program that teaches much more than just a game.
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“The people you meet from golf, the relationships you build through golf, the networks that you build through golf. I think it’s something that underrepresented groups and marginalized groups maybe haven’t always had access to,” Molayo said. “Golf is in a place now where it’s more inclusive and it’s purposely focusing more on inclusion, and in all honesty, for the history of the sport it’s been very exclusive on purpose.”
This is why Molayo wasn’t satisfied with his program only teaching kids about golf at Cedar Crest. Instead, he’s also taking golf to kids in the community.
Like the course he teaches to third and fourth graders at St. Phillip’s School and Community Center in Dallas, teaching everything from golf swings to life lessons.
“This environment is a safe environment, so they can fail-safe, but they can have success really easily,” Molayo said. “So golf is fun. Everything you see here is gratifying what we’re trying to teach. So they’re having fun and they don’t even realize they’re improving their golf skills at the same time.”
Having fun, and learning about the game has meant so much to Molayo, as he continues to work with both kids and Cedar Crest golf course, trying to use his platform and passion to make a difference.
“I really do think this golf course can be a catalyst for community renewal,” Molayo said. “And that’s really what we’re trying to do.”
