Golf superstar Tiger Woods was present for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of a new center offering free educational programs for children and teens.
The ceremony took place on Monday, Sept. 8, at the Smilow Woodland TGR Learning Lab. The lab opened at the Cobbs Creek Golf Course at 7401 Lansdowne Ave. in April. Woods, Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker attended the ceremony.
The Learning Lab, created by Woods’ nonprofit TGR Foundation, is part of the Cobbs Creek Foundation’s mission to create a state-of-the-art golf and educational campus that offers opportunities for Philadelphia’s youth by providing both academic and athletic experiences. The 30,000 square-foot building contains several classrooms, a multipurpose room, a music recording room, a podcast studio, and a Full Swing golf simulator.
Woods explained to NBC10 News Philadelphia that he chose Cobbs Creek for the second Learning Lab location to honor his mentor, Charlie Sifford, a professional Black golfer who faced discrimination when he played in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s. Cobbs Creek Golf Course was one of the few courses at the time that didn’t discriminate against players based on race, gender, or ethnicity.
“I didn’t start the foundation to produce golfers who hit golf balls. I started the foundation to produce the greatest humans possible,” Woods said in a statement during Monday’s ceremony. “In order to do that, you have to have a place which is tangible — something that they can call theirs, something that they can feel and is theirs. It’s their home. The programs provide the materials for them, and more importantly, it’s a safe place that they can learn and grow.”
