Lawrenceville resident Bob Cunningham admits that he got interested in golf a little late in the game, but he’s been making up for it ever since.
“I was home on leave from the Army for two weeks and we lived in rural northwestern Pennsylvania,” said Cunningham. “There was a nine-hole course just five miles from where we were living with my in-laws. There were clubs in the hall closet that belonged to my brother-in-law, so I borrowed his clubs and went up to the course.
“I don’t know what I shot, but I was hooked that day. I played every day for two weeks and that’s when the love affair began. I was a late bloomer, really.”
Known as “Georgia’s Golf Guru” and “Master of the Move,” Cunningham, 87, has been teaching golf for decades and became a full-time instructor when he retired from the furniture business at the turn of the century. Now he can be found five days a week teaching one of the five systems of golf in which he’s certified.
“My passion is helping people and enjoying their progress,” said Cunningham, who says he plays on Wednesdays, takes Sundays off and spends the rest of his week teaching.
Cunningham’s fee is a modest $50 per hour (which he said hasn’t changed in 22 years) and he has posted some 500 YouTube videos with his teaching tips. And he insists he can teach anyone to play.
“If you can walk, talk and chew gum, I can have you playing golf,” he said.
The Ohio native moved to Georgia in 1966 to go to work for Rich’s department store and through the years was involved in a number of businesses, including Cunningham Furniture of Georgia in Lawrenceville, a family business he ran for more than two decades before retiring.
“When I turned 65, I decided to retire and teach golf full-time,” he said. “We sold the business. It was great for the family, but then I could golf on my own schedule.”
Spending nearly every day on the course has not only lengthened his life but has also contributed to an enviable quality of life. Cunningham also gives credit to Ann, his wife of 67 years, for his longevity.
“I tell my wife I’m going to work and she says, ‘You call that work?’” quipped Cunningham. “If you enjoy what you do, you never work a day in your life. You need to be outside every day, which I am. That, and my wife’s good cooking, is what I attribute my good health to. She loves to cook and I love to eat. I’m blessed.”
For years, Cunningham taught at the Gwinnett Golf Center, but when the property was sold, he moved over to Golf Etc. at the Mall of Georgia. For the last 12 years, he’s been teaching at Pine Hills Golf Club in Winder.
“I love Pine Hills for my purposes,” he said. “I have free run of the place. I can take students out on the course at various holes and I just look forward to going out there every day. I just love Pine Hills and the people there.”
While Cunningham’s schedule is filled with folks who want to improve their game, he said he’s always got room and time for more students. He’s taught thousands of players through the years and, not surprisingly, he’s got many students he’s worked with for years.
“My students tend to stay with me,” he said. “Most teachers give a few band-aids and that’s the end of the lessons. But my students stay with me. I’ve taught a lot of husbands and wives, grandmothers and grandfathers and grandchildren. We have so much fun — teaching is the highlight of my day.”
For more information on Gwinnett Golf Academy, call 770-378-4310.
Credit: Gwinnett Daily Post
Credit: Gwinnett Daily Post
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