Michigan Golf Journal October 2018

Cover Story, Golf Ball Divers tŽƌŬ ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞůLJ ĐƵƐƚŽŵŝnjĞĚ their factory to receive, sort, ƌĞĐŽŶĚŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ ďŽdž ƚŚĞ thousands of balls they receive ĚĂŝůLJ͘ dŚĞ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ƚŚĂƚ ǁŽƌŬ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ >ĂƉĞĞƌ dĞĂŵ tŽƌŬ ĨĂĐŝůŝƚLJ ĂƌĞ ŚĂƉƉLJ ƚŽ ĐŽŶƚƌŝďƵƚĞ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĞīŽƌƚ͕ ƉůƵƐ ĞŶũŽLJ ƉƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐ a valuable service to the ĐŽŵƉĂŶLJ͘ ĞŝŶŐ ĞŵƉůŽLJĞĚ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŶƚƌŝďƵƟŶŐ ĂƐ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƚĞĂŵ ŐŝǀĞƐ ƚŚĞŵ Ă ƉƵƌƉŽƐĞ they look forward to every ĚĂLJ͕ ƉůƵƐ ŽŶͲƚŚĞͲũŽď ƚƌĂŝŶŝŶŐ ƚŚĂƚ ǁŝůů ŚĞůƉ ƚŚĞŵ ĮŶĚ Ă ŵŽƌĞ ƉĞƌŵĂŶĞŶƚ ũŽď͘ >ĂƉĞĞƌ dĞĂŵ tŽƌŬ͛Ɛ ŵŝƐƐŝŽŶ͕ ƚŽ ƚƌĂŝŶ ĂŶĚ ŝŶƚĞŐƌĂƚĞ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ǁŝƚŚ ďĂƌƌŝĞƌƐ ƚŽ ĞŵƉůŽLJŵĞŶƚ͕ to reach their maximum ĞŵƉůŽLJŵĞŶƚ ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ŝŶ ƚŚĞ community, is near and dear to Jim’s heart. He has a goal to ŚĞůƉ >ĂƉĞĞƌ ƌĞĂĐŚ ĞǀĞŶ ŵŽƌĞ individuals in the future. “With government funding constantly ŝŶ Ă ƐƚĂƚĞ ŽĨ ŇƵdž ŝƚ ŝƐ ŵĂŶĚĂƚŽƌLJ ƚŚĂƚ ǁĞ ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞ ƚŽ ƐĞĞŬ ŽƵƚ ƉĂƌƚŶĞƌƐ ƐƵĐŚ ĂƐ Jim Starr and GolfBallDivers. ĐŽŵ ƚŽ ĂƐƐƵƌĞ Ă ƐƚĞĂĚLJ ŇŽǁ of income to the business,” ĞƩůĞ ƐĂŝĚ͘ ͞ ĞĐĂƵƐĞ ǁĞ ĂƌĞ Ă ϱϬϭ ŶŽŶͲƉƌŽĮƚ͕ Ăůů ƌĞǀĞŶƵĞƐ can be reinvested back into ƚŚĞ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ƚŽ ŚĞůƉ ƚƌĂŝŶ ŵŽƌĞ ƉŚLJƐŝĐĂůůLJ ĂŶĚ ŵĞŶƚĂůůLJ challenged individuals to ƌĞĂĐŚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĨƵůů ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ĂŶĚ ĮŶĚ ƌĞǁĂƌĚŝŶŐ ĞŵƉůŽLJŵĞŶƚ͘͟ ƚ >ĂƉĞĞƌ dĞĂŵ tŽƌŬ͕ trainees gain skills to advance ƚŚĞŝƌ ĨƵůůͲƟŵĞ ĞŵƉůŽLJŵĞŶƚ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ ĂŶĚ ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐ rate once they enter the job ŵĂƌŬĞƚ͘ KŶĞ ƐƵĐŚ ƉƌŽŐƌĂŵ ƉƌĞƉĂƌĞƐ ƚƌĂŝŶĞĞƐ ƚŽ ǁŽƌŬ ŝŶ retail by teaching customer ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ͕ ĐŽŵƉƵƚĞƌ ŽƉĞƌĂƟŽŶ͕ ƉƌŝĐŝŶŐ͕ ƉƌĞƉĂƌŝŶŐ ĚŝƐƉůĂLJƐ͕ ĂƐ ǁĞůů ĂƐ ƌĞͲƐƚŽĐŬŝŶŐ ĚƵƟĞƐ͘ >ĂƉĞĞƌ dĞĂŵ tŽƌŬ ŽƉĞƌĂƚĞƐ ŝŶ ƉĂƌƚŶĞƌƐŚŝƉ ǁŝƚŚ DŝĐŚŝŐĂŶ ZĞŚĂďŝůŝƚĂƟŽŶ͕ ƚŚĞ /ŶƚĞƌŵĞĚŝĂƚĞ ^ĐŚŽŽů ŝƐƚƌŝĐƚ ĂŶĚ >ĂƉĞĞƌ ŽƵŶƚLJ ͞/ ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ ŚĞůƉ ĞǀĞƌLJŽŶĞ ĮŶĚ Ă ũŽď͕͟ ŚĞ ƐĂŝĚ͘ ͞/ ůŽǀĞ ǁŚĂƚ >ĂƉĞĞƌ Team Work is doing ƚŽ ŚĞůƉ ĞǀĞƌLJŽŶĞ learn a skill and the ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ ƚŚĞLJ ĂƌĞ ƉƌŽǀŝĚŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ these individuals ƚŚĂƚ ŶĞĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŚĞůƉ͘͟ Moving Forward: There are issues, ŚŽǁĞǀĞƌ͘ ŽŶŐƌĞƐƐ ĐŽŶƟŶƵĂůůLJ decreases the amount of ĨƵŶĚŝŶŐ ƚŚĞƐĞ ƚLJƉĞƐ ŽĨ ŽŶͲƚŚĞͲ ũŽďͲƚƌĂŝŶŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ƉŚLJƐŝĐĂůůLJ and mentally disabled receive. ŶŶ DĂƌŝĞ ĞƩůĞ͕ ƚŚĞ džĞĐƵƟǀĞ ŝƌĞĐƚŽƌ ĨŽƌ >ĂƉĞĞƌ dĞĂŵtŽƌŬ /ŶĐ͕ ŚĂƐ ďĞĞŶ ŝŶǀŽůǀĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŽŐƌĂŵ ĨŽƌ ŽǀĞƌ ƐĞǀĞŶ LJĞĂƌƐ ĂŶĚ ŝƐ ƉĂƐƐŝŽŶĂƚĞ ĂďŽƵƚ ƉƌĞƉĂƌŝŶŐ ŝŶĚŝǀŝĚƵĂůƐ ǁŝƚŚ ďĂƌƌŝĞƌƐ ƚŽ ĞŵƉůŽLJŵĞŶƚ ƌĞĂĐŚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ƚƌƵĞ ƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů͘ drivers crate of balls