Next Up
Spotlighting the next generation of Virginia golfers
GRIFFIN GIVES BACK
Catching up with Lanto Griffin , who explains why Youth on Course is such an important initiative
Interviewed by CHRIS LANG
LANTO GRIFFIN HAS SETTLED INTO LIFE ON THE PGA TOUR , and now he ’ s giving back . Griffin has partnered with Youth on Course Virginia to donate $ 100 for every birdie and $ 500 for every eagle made at this year ’ s four major championships , along with The Players Championship . We caught up with Lanto to ask why the partnership was right for both him and Youth on Course .
Virginia Golfer : Let ’ s go back to the beginning with you . How young were you when you first picked up a club ? And who was the biggest influence on helping you fall in love with golf ?
Lanto Griffin : My first set of clubs was given as a Christmas present in 1996 , I was 8 , from my dad . I was so excited and used my mom ’ s gardening tools to dig out little holes to make my own nine-hole course around our house . Eventually we moved into town and we found The Hill . When I was 11 my dad was diagnosed with brain cancer and I began to spend more and more time at The Hill , sometimes playing 54 holes a day , just to keep my mind off things . The more I played the more I fell in love with the individualism of golf . I met some friends who were members at Blacksburg CC and started to play there with them . There , I was introduced to an instructor named Steve Prater . He connected with my dad during
CHRIS LANG
12 V IRGINIA G OLFER | M AY / J UNE 2021
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