Upbringing taught Hocknull tolerance, respect
Painted head-to-toe in white clay, the Gumatj Clan, an Aboriginal community residing in the Northern Territory of Australia, cried and danced during a funeral-like ceremony for a 14- to 15-footlong crocodile, which they believed was the reincarnation of a clan member’s father. One of the guests was Craig Hocknull, who attended the ceremony as a child.
The Crocodile Ceremony, one of the many experiences Hocknull had with Aboriginal peoples, was part of an upbringing that he said taught him lessons about how he should conduct himself both on and off the golf course today. Hocknull, 43, is among the 156 players in the field for this week’s 100th PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis.
Born to Scottish parents in the highlands of Papau New Guinea, Hocknull and his family spent much of his childhood in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, where his mother worked for an advocacy organization. Hocknull spent many weekends visiting an Aboriginal village.
“One (thing I learned) would be tolerance and understanding of cultures,” Hocknull said of the experience. “And the other thing would just be to not be caught up in materialistic things.”
Hocknull, who took up golf at 5, left the Outback in search of better educational opportunities. He attended the Kooralbyn International School south of Brisbane, which was working to build a strong athletic program when Hocknull arrived. Since Kooralbyn built its nota- ble golf program, PGA Tour pros Steven Bowditch, Adam Scott and Jason Day also attended the school.
Looking to experience American college life, Hocknull chose Jackson State University in Mississippi, based on the allure of a full scholarship to a Division I golf program.
But Hocknull said he had no inkling of how much of a minority he would be at Jackson State, a historically black university. He received a rare opportunity: playing on a diverse team made up of both Caucasian and African-American golfers under head coach Eddie Payton, who is the brother of Pro Football Hall of Famer Walter Payton.
And the team was impressive, winning three PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championships during Hocknull’s time in Jackson.
This week Hocknull will make his PGA Championship debut. Hocknull, who is PGA director of instruction at Saber Sports Trainer in Gilbert, Arizona, qualified by tying for 12th in the PGA Professional Championship in Seaside, Caliifornia, in June.
Golf prowess wasn’t the only thing Hocknull gained from his time at Jackson State: being a minority on campus also reinforced in him the respect and tolerance he learned while spending time with Aboriginal people. He carries these lessons to his career as a golf coach, PGA professional, entrepreneur and trick-shot artist.
“Just looking every single person in the eye, shaking their hand, being respectful, asking them how their day is going,” Hocknull said. “It’s one of those things where, I just don’t take anything for granted.”