PGA pro sets sights on bringing golf to Trenton kids
At 9 years old, Paloma Santiago was at a crossroads. Namely, she didn’t want to play soccer anymore.
“It was summertime, and my mom was trying to find something for me to do,” the now-24 year old Lawrence resident said. “She always signed me up for soccer and I’d always get hurt. Then she found Greater Trenton Junior Golf, and after I swung my first club I fell in love with it.”
That golf program was held in Cadwalader Park and was the brainchild of Chubby Blackwell, who passed away in December of 2017. Blackwell was a huge proponent of youth sports, a huge proponent of the power of sports to help change lives.
“He helped me so much, he told me i was a natural, that i would go so far,” Santiago said. “Without him I’m not sure I’d be involved in golf right now.” And involved she is. After a 4-year varsity career at Lawrence High (where she played on the boys team, rising to captain) she graduated Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 2016 with a degree in Business with a concentration in Professional Golf Management. And in 2017, she received her PGA card. Meaning: Paloma Santiago, professional golfer.
And while she’s not ruling out maybe one day taking a run at the LPGA tour, she decided at a young age that the business of golf attracted her a little more.
As a result, she’s worked and interned at many of New Jersey’s top courses (while also working on a real estate career on the side).
But something about her childhood pulled at her. Something about her time with Blackwell pulled at her. Something about her upbringing — she split time between Lawrence and Trenton as a kid— pulled at her. Something about the stereotypes of being a minority (especially in the golf world) pulled at her.
And so … she launched Live Golf, a non-profit dedicated to “living the golf lifestyle.”
“I want it to become a big non-profit that gives back to inner cities, especially Trenton, because that’s where I started playing golf,” Santiago said. “I think it’s so important for kids to get involved in golf, for it to be an outlet. I want that to be the main focus.”
Basically, Santiago is looking to show kids all the ways golf might help them in their lives.
“There’s a lot of benefits to being involved in golf,” she said. “Just the people you meet on the golf course … CEOs, people that own real estate empires.” She’s not wrong.
But of course, it’s more than just meet-and-greets to Santiago.
“The average inner city person may not have the opportunity to start playing golf,” she said. “I want to be a part of the solution to that. I want to give the opportunity to someone who doesn’t have the means to get involved. The game of golf changed my life for the better and I definitely want to do the same thing for other kids.”
Right now, Santiago is out selling her concept, picking up grant money, and, in her spare time, putting the finishing touches on her first book. She plans on holding some fundraisers come spring. In addition to providing an introduction to the game, Santiago also hopes Live Golf will be able to have enough funding to help offset the cost of getting on the golf course for kids in the program.
“I picture it being an introduction to the sport. Lessons. Showing you what opportunities it could bring,” she said. “Life skills. Everything. I want to help make kids better people through golf. It helped me so much and I just want to do the same.”
Jeff Edelstein is a columnist for The Trentonian. He can be reached at jedelstein@ trentonian.com, facebook. com/jeffreyedelstein and @ jeffedelstein on Twitter.