abetterwoman.net – Education often begins far from desks or digital dashboards. For Pee Dee author Dr. Gregory McCord, meaningful lessons first appeared on sun‑drenched fairways, not inside traditional classrooms. His childhood on local golf courses did more than shape a smooth swing. It seeded discipline, patience, resilience, plus a quiet confidence that later guided his work as an educator, leader, and now children’s book author. By turning those early rounds of golf into stories, he offers young readers a fresh route to understand character and purpose.
Today, Dr. McCord transforms personal history into accessible education through two new children’s books inspired by his youth on the course. These stories do not simply teach golf basics. They weave together social‑emotional skills, academic curiosity, and cultural pride. Through vivid scenes, young readers see how a kid from the Pee Dee region translated practice into progress, setbacks into strategy, and community support into lifelong learning. His journey shows how everyday childhood experiences can become powerful blueprints for educational growth.
Childhood on the Course as Living Education
Many people view golf as a quiet hobby, yet for Dr. McCord it served as a vibrant classroom. Each hole created a new situation where careful thinking mattered as much as physical skill. A tricky bunker shot taught problem solving. A missed putt demanded composure, not excuses. Those long walks between shots gave space for reflection. Over time, this steady rhythm nurtured a mindset focused on persistence. That mindset later informed his philosophy of education, where learning unfolds through small, consistent efforts rather than sudden breakthroughs.
His upbringing on Pee Dee courses also taught social awareness. Golf required polite conversation, respect for others’ turns, and honest scorekeeping. No referee watched every stroke, so integrity became non‑negotiable. For a young boy of color moving through spaces where he might not have always felt fully welcomed, those lessons carried added weight. He learned how to move through challenging environments with dignity, grounded in self‑respect. Today, his books bring those subtle social cues into sharp focus for children navigating peer pressure and self‑doubt.
Education often overlooks how leisure spaces shape identity. Dr. McCord’s story challenges this narrow view. Fairways became places where he learned to read landscapes, manage time, and handle competition. He studied body language, measured risk, and adjusted strategies under pressure. Those same skills later supported his work with students, teachers, and families. By framing the golf course as a training ground for life, he invites parents and educators to notice similar learning moments in their own communities, whether on basketball courts, in barbershops, or during weekend family chores.
Turning Personal History into Educational Stories
Dr. McCord’s two new children’s books operate like bridges between his past and today’s classrooms. Instead of presenting dry lessons about success, he crafts narratives built around curious, determined kids exploring golf as more than a sport. Through their eyes, readers encounter topics such as goal setting, emotional regulation, and cultural pride. Scenes on the tee box or practice range double as gentle prompts for reflection. Young readers see characters wrestle with nerves, excitement, disappointment, then discover tools for coping. Education, in his hands, feels human, not mechanical.
From my perspective, the brilliance of his approach lies in authenticity. Many children’s books focused on education feel engineered around a message. Everything bends toward a tidy moral. Dr. McCord’s work begins with lived experience. Because he truly walked those fairways as a boy, small details feel honest. The way a caddie speaks, how a grandparent encourages, the sound of early‑morning sprinklers across the greens. These elements give readers sensory anchors. Once they trust the world of the story, they become more open to lessons about perseverance, literacy, or math woven into the plot.
His books also model representation as an educational force. Young readers from the Pee Dee region, or from similar communities, can recognize names, neighborhoods, and family dynamics. They see a Black educator who grew from their kind of background, now writing stories for them. That visibility matters. It tells children their realities count as worthy subject matter, not footnotes. For kids from other regions, the books function as respectful windows into another community’s rhythms. Education expands when more stories enter the room, especially ones grounded in local truth rather than stereotypes.
Why His Story Matters for Future Education
The deeper lesson behind Dr. Gregory McCord’s journey is powerful yet simple: education becomes transformative when it respects the full landscape of a child’s life. A golf course, a front porch, a church parking lot, or a neighborhood rec center can all serve as classrooms when adults listen, observe, then translate real experiences into meaningful stories. His books prove that personal history can fuel both literacy and life skills, especially when crafted with care. For educators, parents, and community leaders, his example offers a challenge as well as hope. Look around, find the everyday spaces where kids already learn, then help them see those moments as chapters in their own unfolding narrative.
