For most children in and around St Ann, golf is more than just a game. Instead it is viewed as a lifeline, a discipline, and an opportunity.
At the heart of this transformative journey stands Bill Williams, a man deeply committed to changing the lives of young Jamaicans through the Sandals Foundation Care for Kids Junior Golf Programme.
Williams, the lead professional golfer at the Sandals Golf and Country Club, has for years been dedicated to empowering boys who are at risk of straying down troubled paths, introducing them to the game of golf, not just as a sport but as a means of character building and personal development.
“I love kids. There’s a duty in me to take care of kids. I always tell myself, if you can grow kids, you grow the country, and you’re growing something good. The guys tell me they love it because I take them off the streets and... them things,” Williams said in a recent interview.
“I’ve been doing this programme since 2002; that’s when I started. I went into my village where I live in Exchange and I see kids... and I bring them over and [guide] them,” he added.
Williams sees golf as more than a series of strokes and strategies. For him, it is a way to teach young men about patience, discipline, and respect—qualities that they can carry well beyond the green.
Bill Williams (centre) shares a photo opportunity with members of Team 13 during the Sandals US Travel Advisors Tournament.
The success stories he tells are numerous, as many of the boys who once faced uncertain futures have gone on to compete at the national level, among them are Zandre Roye, Romaine Evans, and Oshae Haye, just to name a few.
“I turn out some very good kids out of this thing here. And they are all over the world, global now. There [are] so many kids because I used to do this for eight years on my own before Sandals Foundation came on board. And even though they leave the programme at the age of 18, they still come back here, and I still try to offer advice because there is always room for improvements,” Williams shared.
Williams is especially enthusiastic about the future of the programme, as funds raised through the three Sandals Travel Advisors Golf Tournaments—Latin America, Canada, and the United States—the programme is set for significant expansion.
This funding will allow Williams and his team to reach more young men across the island, providing resources to further develop their skills and broaden their opportunities. The latest United States Travel Advisors tournament raised US$800 (about $127,000 Jamaican) for the programme.
“This is a very important tournament every year for us to get a little extra for the foundation because the kids [have] got to play tournaments and we use the money to fund them. We help who cannot really afford to go to school—we do help with that too. So, I think this programme will go much further and impact more youths,” Williams ended.
Rain may have dampened the first day of the Sandals US Travel Advisors Golf Tournament, but it couldn’t wash away the spirit of the event or the competitive resolve of players.
In fact, Garth Laird, Sandals Vice President of Trade and Sales, underscored that the significance of the annual tournament is intended to celebrate just that—the resilience and camaraderie of travel advisors who are essential to the success of Sandals and, by extension, brand Jamaica.
“This tournament itself goes beyond just a game of golf,” Laird shared passionately.
He continued: “It's really about bringing advisors down. It's about reengaging with the product and what it has to offer, and if I can use three words, it's love, legacy, and learning. Love of the product, love of Jamaica, the legacy that Sandals offers to the greater audience of the travel agency community, and it's also about learning.
“It was only one day of golf; we still got the educational component built into it. In the last few months we've also taken a bigger approach because when you add this number together, we've brought about a thousand people to the destination over the last eight weeks because there's so many things that are happening in Jamaica that people aren't aware of. So there's so many new things that's going on, and our responsibility is to educate the advisors so that they can educate their customers,” he added.
Thought rain threatened to wash out the two-day event entirely, the clouds parted on the second day and the advisors got their swing on in the four-man scramble format, which ended with Team Six taking the title with a nine-hole score of 61 at the Sandals Golf and Country Club. They won ahead of Team 13 and Team Five, which ended with scores of 62 and 64, respectively.
That team, captained by Jeremy Lee and included father and son duo David and Adam Anderson, as well as David Schutz, was particularly determined to clinch the top spot this year.
After securing the championship in 2022 but narrowly missing out last year, they entered the tournament with renewed focus, and Lee said the win was the culmination of hard work and the camaraderie they’d built over the years of competing together.
“I think in general, we all could have shot a little bit better, but the weather played into it. Thankfully, there was no thunder or lightning, and we ended up coming out okay. This is the same team we had last year, and two years ago we had one different player, but three of us have been together every year,” Lee, who is based in Alabama, said.
“Just to get an invite to the tournament means a lot to me. This is my third year. Like I said, it's a huge deal. We're really competitive, but really we're here to have fun, learn more about Sandals and Beaches products, and learn to sell more. I sell destinations all over the world, but when people call me and ask what's my favourite place, I say Jamaica because the people are so genuine and nice,” he declared.
Meanwhile, Welton Bowie and Donna Tanner won the men’s and women’s closest to the pin awards, while Schutz and Megan Sams won the respective longest drive awards.
Close to US$800 (about $126,000 Jamaican) was also raised for the Sandals foundation.
With representatives from various regions, Laird explained that the tournament also serves as an informal networking event, bringing together travel advisors and Sandals executives to share industry insights and foster connections in a relaxed environment.
“We're going to do one in St. Lucia next year. So it's the Canadian winners, the winners of the US Tournament, and the winners of the Latin American Tournament, plus we'll sprinkle in some other four folks, like a long-drive person. This is to showcase that it is more than one event. It's more about getting together, doing what we do, which is hospitality and travel,” Laird shared.
“We have the luxury of being probably the most popular brand across the Caribbean right now because of our impact globally as well as within the United States, with our sales team, with our marketing, with our advertising. So when we do something in the Caribbean, it really stands out as a company that continues to reinvest in the people that make us who we are,” he noted.
When Canadian professional golfer and celebrity entertainer Todd Keirstead stands out on course, it is not just for his remarkable skills but for the way he’s using his talents to give back.
Known for his extraordinary trick shots that leave spectators amazed, Keirstead, who has been playing golf for over 20 years, found a way to turn his passion for the game into a powerful tool for charitable fundraising, and his unique blend of showmanship and philanthropy was on full display in Jamaica recently.
Keirstead’s appearance at the Baxter Canadian Travel Advisors Golf Tournament at the Sandals Golf and Country Club was more than just for an exhibition of incredible talent, as his jaw-dropping trick shots were designed with a larger goal in mind –raising funds for the Sandals Foundation’s junior golf programme, an initiative aimed at fostering the next generation of golfers in Jamaica.
The programme helps provide access to golf for young players who might otherwise not have the opportunity to engage with the sport, offering training, equipment, and mentorship.
“Anything that involves giving back is near and dear to my heart and I love when kids are introduced to this sport. This sport has given me so much; it's allowed me to travel the world and if I can give back, plus put a smile on kids face and show them what can be done through golf,” Keirstead told SportsMax.Tv.
“I also have a national adaptive golf programme where I work with people with varying disabilities and injuries, showing them that they can play the game of golf again because a lot of them gave up the game because they don't think they can play. But if I can show them that, yes, maybe you can't play the way that you used to, but here's an adaptive way to play golf, which is such an incredible sport,” he added.
While his impressive abilities—which involve performing shots blindfolded and even hitting balls from various parts of people’s bodies—saw him once win Trick Shot of the Year, complemented by features on ESPN, Sports Illustrated, TSN, and TMZ, Keirstead’s focus extends far beyond simply entertaining the crowd.
For Keirstead, who survived skin cancer in 2023 when he endured seven surgeries in just four months, every shot he takes is a chance to bring attention to causes that matter, as he is driven by a mission to empower and educate.
“I’ve always believed that golf can be more than just a sport; it can be a vehicle for change. I was doing a demonstration back in 2014, and I realised a lot of the shots that I was doing for pure entertainment value were actually emulating the individuals I was with. So I was hitting golf balls blindfolded, and there were individuals that lost their sight. I was swinging golf balls with one arm, showing the correlation between golf and tennis, and there were arm amputees present,” Keirstead, who is also a part of Paragolf Canada, explained.
“I was hitting golf balls off my knees, and there were people present with double leg amputations. So it immediately turned the light bulb on to me that this wasn't so much entertaining anymore; it was more inspiring, showing these individuals who suffered horrific physical situations, here's an adaptive way to play. I've travelled around the world, working with wounded military people, people in car accidents, individuals that suffered drugs, and just giving back to them through the game of golf,” he shared.
According to Keirstead, the Sandals Foundation’s junior golf programme is a perfect fit for his mission, as it is focused on providing resources and support to budding young golfers who dream of making it big in the sport.
In fact, the cheerful personality believes that by combining his passion for golf with a deep commitment to giving back, he is demonstrating that charity doesn’t have to come in the form of a traditional donation—it can come in the form of time and a willingness to inspire others.
“I would love to work at different golf courses here in Jamaica, helping draw tourism here as well and give the whole island an experience. Being able to give back through what I love doing is a gift, and if I can use my platform to help young golfers get the opportunities they deserve, that’s what makes it all worthwhile,” he declared with a broad smile.
“It’s amazing to see how something as simple as a golf ball can create a ripple effect of change. When these kids are given the opportunity to play, to learn, and to grow in the sport, they’re also learning life skills—discipline, focus, resilience, and that’s what we’re really investing in,” Keirstead ended.
Gary Sadler’s heart beats for two nations—Jamaica, the island of his birth, and Canada, the country where he built his career. As a key figure in the tourism industry, Sadler has long been an ambassador for Jamaica, championing the island’s beauty and culture to the world, and his enthusiasm was once again on full display at the end of the Canadian Travel Advisors Golf tournament.
Sadler, the Executive Vice President of Sales and Industry Relations at Unique Vacations underscored that the two-day tournament, which brought advisors to Jamaica for an immersive experience, was about more than just competition—it was about connection, as he encouraged travel advisors to seize every moment to not just play, but to truly experience Jamaica and sell that experience back home.
“I migrated from Jamaica in 1992, and the eggs of my hopes as a young man was sent to Toronto, and Toronto being the welcoming city that it is, I felt quite at home. I then moved to Western Canada where I spent five of my best years living in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba. So western Canada is dearest to my heart. Why is because they told us in those days that you couldn't really sell Jamaica because Jamaica was two days away in the Caribbean,” Sadler shared.
“So, I am quite excited to see travel advisors from Vancouver coming to the golf tournament. When we started this golf tournament eight years ago, everybody came from Toronto, and very few came from Montreal, because everybody would just want that direct flight. So now that we have people from all across Canada, it is actually very welcoming,” he added.