The family that plays together ... for these individuals, golf is a family affair.

For Julia Baldwin, playing golf has become almost as necessary as breathing. The 73-year-old local Detroit golf legend has been playing since she was 36 and doesn't miss a chance to hit the golf course. Her infectious love for golf spilled over to her daughter, Cynthia George, who has been playing since she was 14, and to her granddaughter Chantelle, who received her first plastic clubs when she was 3.

Baldwin's golf life began after she read an advertisement for free golf lessons for children in a Detroit newspaper. A natural athlete who also loves playing basketball, field hockey, and ballroom dancing, Baldwin took to golf immediately: "I thought if I played, the children and I could play together."

The first golf course she played was Belle Isle, a small par three course. Daughter George, 50, recalls, "When we began, I wanted to play so I could spend more time with my mother. She wanted to learn how to master the game." When Baldwin became program coordinator of the LPGA Urban Youth Golf Program in Detroit, George and Chantelle also got involved, and a family tradition was born. Chantelle, 19, who was captain of her high school golf team during her senior year remembers, "My grandmother would let me hit a few balls, then we'd play some holes."

The family enjoys playing at Detroit's famous Palmer Park and Rouge Park golf courses. When Chantelle returns to Detroit from college in Tennessee, a golf game with her grandmother is an absolute must. Baldwin plays up to five times per week during the summer, George mostly plays for business: "It's not a myth that a lot of business deals take place on the golf course. But I love playing with my family."

Baldwin is a golf instructor for Detroit's Police Athletic League and the First Tee of Michigan. Every year she travels to Florida with a group of fellow golfers and they play as many courses as possible between Ocala and Clearwater, all the way through Orlando. She says, "I love the camaraderie. I met most of my friends on the golf course, some of them I've been playing with for over thirty years!"

A Mother's Love

What more can a mother give a son in whom she's instilled integrity, industry, and a love for community? For Renee Fluker the answer was inspired. Fluker, 50, had been driving son Jason Malone to golf practice since he was in the fourth grade but had never learned to play herself. So in August 2005, she began taking golf lessons with PGA of America golf instructors at Evergreen Hills in their native Detroit, and she loves it: "It has been very special for me to be able to play with my son after years of taking him to the best courses and attending tournaments. He had tears in his eyes the first time we played together."

Fluker plays at least twice per week at Evergreen and Rackham golf courses with Malone when he's home from college in Chicago. Eagle Eye, the 18-hole course on a PGA facility in Lansing, Michigan, is one of their favorites. "Golf is not a team sport," says Malone, "it all depends on you." Fluker enjoys not only the thrill of a 6 handicap, but also the freedom of the outdoors and the interaction with other golfers.

Mother and son have also left a lasting mark on their community through golf. Upon his departure for college, Renee made a fortuitous suggestion. "My mother had always taught me to give back and try to extend myself to those less fortunate. With assistance from the PGA of America and several GM executives, the Midnight Golf program was launched in 2001."

The 30-week program, which targets 17 to 22 year olds, provides alternatives to at-risk youth by utilizing the discipline used in golf as a tool for life. Fluker explains, "We assist in college preparation, conflict resolution, resume writing--anything that helps young people develop life skills." Midnight Golf has also garnered support from the PGA of America and the U.S. Golf Association in the form of golf equipment, access to courses, and now, payment for instructors. Of his mother, Malone says, "She is dedicated and passionate, and through her love for golf has instilled possibility and hope into many broken lives."

It's in the Genes

How does a former professional golfer who has completed two PGA tours cap off a distinguished career? For Tom Woodard, whose accomplished career spans more than twenty years, it was watching his son Aaron get awarded a First Tee scholarship to Kansas State University.

Created by the World Golf Foundation in 1997, the First Tee Program's mission is to use the game of golf and character-building values to impact the lives of young people. Currently the director of the Meadows and Foothills golf courses in Denver, Colorado, Woodard, 50, has indeed passed on a golf legacy he can be proud of. He began playing when he was 10 and later joined a junior program run by the East Denver golf club, a black club. After attending the University of Colorado on a golf scholarship, he completed two stints at the 1981 and 1984 PGA tours. Woodard went on to play two U.S. Opens in 1989 and 1993, and at the PGA championship in 1991.

Of his love for the game, Woodard says, "It's entirely an individual sport. The onus is on you to excel." He and his family play golf several times per month. Wife Valerie has been playing for 15 years and Aaron since he was 4. One of their favorite courses is the celebrated Pebble Beach golf course, which Woodard also played during a PGA tour. Aaron made a splash when he played in the Wal-Mart First Tee Open, where he and teammate Craig Stadler won in 2004.

The Relentless Pursuit of Par

Bergen County, New Jersey, resident Greg Lewis has been playing golf seriously since he began taking lessons at Negril Hills, Jamaica, in 2003. He says, "The golf instructor told me that I needed to talk to the ball more, which I interpreted as being more relaxed." The advice worked and Lewis, who has been communing with the little white ball ever since, now has a handicap of 8. The golf aficionado gets to indulge his love for nature when he's out on the green, too: "When you're playing, you see anything from wild turkeys to foxes and alligators."

Lewis and his fiancee Trudy, who began playing two years ago, play every two weeks at courses in Emerson, New Jersey, and Pelham Split Rock in the Bronx, New York. This year, Lewis placed first in the Harambee Tournament in Atlantic City. In what he refers to as "the relentless pursuit of par," Lewis, his son Marcus, and Trudy also enjoy golf cruises to St. Maarten and count courses at the White Witch at the Ritz Carlton in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Dorado Beach in Puerto Rico among their favorites.

While Trudy takes a leisurely approach to the game, Greg is intent on improving his. "There are days when I hit two below par on a front nine, but on the back nine I'm four above par."

But the most promise might just be in Lewis' 3-year-old son Marcus, who he named after his hero Marcus Garvey. Marcus has inspired wonder in both golf instructors and other, more mature players. He's been watching his father play golf since he was 9 months old, and he seems to have already developed his own style. Lewis sees a college golf scholarship in Marcus' future. His mother, however, would like him to remain competitive. She says, "We talk to him about trying, and hard work. We hope he carries those values throughout his life."