D.A. Weibring is the consummate PGA working professional, balancing and active family, a thriving golf course design and management company, an ever-so-competitive pro golf tour schedule, and a career-long commitment to youth golf. D.A. and his wife, Kristy, live in Plano with their three kids, 18 year old Matt, 15 year old Katey, and 10 year old Allison Paige. A native of Quincy, Ill., D.A. graduated from Illinois State University and turned pro in 1975. His career highlights include winning the '79 Quad Cities Open, '87 Western Open, the '91 Hardee's Gold Classic, and two international victories. I fact, D.A.'s fist four PGA Tour wins came in his homestate. His victory at the '96 Canon Greater Hartford Open was one of the year's most inspiring stories...after missing two starts, then being forced to take a seven-week break due to walking pneumonia, he felt great as he prepared for the Doral-Ryder Open. Yet, he awoke on morning with the right side of his face completely numb. D.A. was diagnosed with Bell's palsy, a virus that causes temporary paralysis of the facial muscles. He returned in time for the Master's but, missed the cut. Afterward, however, he played his best golf of the year in Hartford, Conn., and won the Canon GHO with a four-stroke margin oer Tom Kite. In addition to a moderate professional golf schedule, D.A. has his own golf course design and management company, Golf Resources Group. GRG has been involved in 25 to 30 projects around the world, the latest of which, Bridlewood Golf Club, opened in Flower Mound last year. Once again at this year's Byron Nelson, D.A. played host to his junior golf clinic, with Lord Byron himself in attendance. This annual labor of love is the largest youth event on tour, and stands as D.A.'s commitment to excellence in devolping and promoting youth golf play and facilities. Known by all as one of the PGA Tour's "nice guys," D.A. Weibring embodies the qualities of true sports role model, as he takes a swing at life.

YST: You've made an ongoing commitment to youth golf. Tell us about your junior golf clinics.
"When I first moved to Dallas, I wrote a letter to the salesmanship club introducing myself as a new PGA pro living in the Dallas area. They wrote back, 'Thanks D.A.-nice to hear from a local guy--we'll keep you on the list.' Well I didn't deserve an exemption, but a few things worked out and I got a chance to play the Nelson for the first time in '79. As gratitude, I felt like I had to do some favor in return, and suggested conducting a junior clinic on Tuesdays during tournament week. This year will mark the 19th year since Curtis Strange, Lanny Watkins, Peter Jacobsen and myself began the first Byron Nelson junior clinic (1980). We have the biggest, and I think the best, junior clinic anyone has to offer. Justin Leonard has worked the last few years to co-host with me, and I think he'll take the program over once I move on to the senior tour in the next few years. "

YST: PGA professionals are renowned for what they give back to the community. Beyond your youth programs, are there any other causes you feel passionate about?
"It was my goal to utilize my ties with the PGA Tour and give something back to the people of Quincy, Ill. We sought a charity my wife Kristy and I felt good about that involved kids and we found the Association of Retarded Citizens. We started the DA Weibring/ARC Golf Charity, a pro-am golf tournament, where I brought fellow touring pros to help raise funds for various ARC projects. Now in its 20th year, it has since grown to tie in with another event called "Little Peoples," for golfers ages 3 to 17, with about 650 kids from 30 states taking part each year. Last year I brought Justin Leonard and a young, personable guy, Charlie Rymer. We also do a golf tournament at Illinois State University, and like the Nelson clinic, this too will be our 19th year. We usually raise $50,000 to $75,000, which directly benefits the men's and women's golf teams. We're excited that Arnold Palmer is coming back to play with me in an exhibition this year. On a more local scale, I've recently helped with a fund raiser to support the athletic programs at Bishop-Lynch High School, where my son and daughter go. Last but not least, I'm the honorary chairman of the North Texas Junior Golf Association. I'm extremely committed to helping out any junior golf programs and working with kids. "

YST: What other aspects of junior sports are you involved with?
"My other passion is basketball, which I played in high school. I've coached youth teams for 13 years. I coached my son Matt and his friends from first to eighth grade, and eight of those guys went on to play high school ball. Several of them are now receiving nice honors and college scholarships, and I'm happy for the small part I played in helping them reach their goals. I've coached through the YMCA, AAU and the Catholic league, and coached Katey's teams as well, before she progressed on into dance and cheerleading. I'm also still coaching Allison's basketball team. "

YST: How should coaches approach teaching a sport?
" The responsibility of any coach is to build a team environment. With the younger ages (age 5 and 6), coaches have to be very elementary in teaching the rules and make sure the kids have a positive experience and make it fun. As the kids grow older there becomes a balance of responsibilities between what the coach can teach and what the player has to practice on their own. Coaches try to build a passion for the game during practices so the kid will want to play and practice on his own. Then a coach must reward those kids who are making improvements. I've always told the kids I've coached, we'll substitute evenly the first three quarters of a game, and the final quarter is my time, to reward the players who have worked hard for that extra playing time. YST: Tell us about your wife, Kristy. DA: We met at Illinois State during our freshman year. She definitely got my attention at first sight. We went on our first date March 23, 1972. We dated throughout college, and after graduation she taught for a year while I went out to the PGA tour qualifying school. I missed qualifying for my card, played the mini tour in Florida and went to be assistant pro at Red Run Golf Club in Detroit. After about a year, Kristy encouraged me to get back out, and has been unbelievably supportive through all the ups and downs of a PGA golf career. "

YST: Is traveling difficult on your family?
"Kristy has been so supportive. I haven't been away for more than two weeks, except once when I went to Japan. As of late, I only play in 18 to 20 tournaments a year, which leaves me with a lot of family and practice time. Once your kids are grown, you can never get those years back. Making those soccer and basketball games, coaching the kids, being there for their encouragement and guidance, is invaluable. I know it sounds trite, but having a soda after a game is a moment that can't be replaced, ever. "

YST: How does the support of your family affect your game?
" All of my kids support me in a different way. My daughters just love their Daddy, if I shoot a 65 or an 85 -- they don't care. Matt is more competitive. There was one time when Matt heard some guys in the gallery make an off-hand comment after I was building my game during a comeback from wrist surgery. He got really upset, and I said, 'Look, if it's that important to you, if you do your best to improve your grades, then I promise I'll win one tournament this season for you.' And I did - the Hardees Tournament! He was amazed that all he had to do was ask me to win one for him and I was able to do it. The trick was, we both promised to give our best efforts. Family is what makes everything fall in place. They provide me the motivation to satisfy my own goals and make good things that much more valuable in life. "

YST: How much has your son Matt been involved in golf?
"He just signed a scholarship with Georgia Tech to play golf. He won the TAPPS 5A golf championship his junior and senior years. Every summer he played in a few North Texas events and one or two in the Midwest, and then played soccer, baseball, basketball and whatever else he wanted to do. As he got older he started to play more every year, and last summer he played well enough that he heard from about 20 schools. They wondered where he'd been! It was my hope that with all the exposure to my friends and the PGA, he would grow to love the game. But first and foremost, I've always wanted that to be his choice. "

YST: Kristy, how do you adjust to D.A.'s playing schedule?
"We do our normal routine ... nothing really changes when he's gone. When he comes home, he fits into the flow of things. "

YST: (To Kristy) Has it been difficult having D.A. on the road so much?
"It's like any job. There's always good as well as bad. There have been moments when it would have been nice to have him here, but we know it's hard on him too. "

YST: How have you accommodated the kids' sports schedules?
KRISTY: "Allison is involved in basketball and dance. Katey dances about 10 hours a week and is a cheerleader. It got a little hard during basketball season, trying to make Matt's basketball games, plus make sure the girls were where they needed to be and do homework. "

YST: D.A., tell us about your bout with Bell's palsy?
"One morning I simply woke up and whole right side of my face was paralyzed. I was afraid that I was having a stroke or worse, and would never play again. It was a difficult time for us all. Each of my three kids dealt with the adversity in their own way. Katey was most sympathetic, and understood how uncomfortable I was so she compensated by spending extra time with me. And Allison would bring her friends over to see me try to smile, then laugh, keeping things in perspective in a light-hearted way. Matt took it the hardest and had a difficult time understanding why this was happening. They were all concerned with my health, and were frustrated not knowing what to expect long term. "

YST: Tell us about your company, Golf Resources Group.
"This is our 11th year. Don Armstrong and Steve Barley, former superintendents at Fort Worth's Colonial Country Club, along with Sam Swanson and myself, first formed GRG. Don and Steve gave us our agronomic background, and Sam knew the real estate business. Byron Nelson was one of our original investors; he's still on our board. The first few years we did a lot of agronomic consulting to help course owners design what they really wanted. Then, we were provided with an opportunity in Japan with Byron Nelson. At that point, we hired our lead architect, Maury Miller. Another architect, Steve Wolfard, has since come on board to strengthen our design team. For the past six years we've focused more on design and renovation, while still managing clubs like Bridlewood. We've now done a lot of renovation work throughout the Metroplex at clubs like Preston Trails, Royal Oaks, TPC at Las Colinas, Sherrill Park and Tenison Park."

YST: How has your work with municipalities come about?
It just evolved. Back in '78 I practiced here at Sherrill Park and at Royal Oaks. After building a team and working our way up, we earned the opportunity to pitch our capabilities for these projects. We've always strived to earn our reputation based on the high quality of our work, which we've been able to showcase with some of our municipal projects. As in any business, satisfied clients are always your best source of new business. That's what led to Tenison Park. "

YST: Do you strive to build a particular characteristic into the courses you design?
"I really feel strongly that an architect shouldn't dictate how players play. I think when you put a lot of forced hazards it takes away from the game. I do believe golf should be played on the ground, not just in the air. For instance, I like a mowed fairway approach tying into the green because it promotes chipping and a different variety of play. We like a natural look to our work, and the course should adapt well to the environment. "

YST: Why is the 'playability' of a course so important in your design?
"I grew up in Quincy, playing on courses that were very natural. We are currently developing the TPC course at Deere Run in the Midwest, which is a great piece of property with rolling hills and lush hardwoods. The PGA feels this is one of the most exciting projects in the works, and has already scheduled the John Deere Classic for '99. With Deere Run, we want to create a natural golf course that seems as if it has been playable for 50 years, offering a balanced, yet challenging level of playability. The great part about golf is that everyone can enjoy it. Beginning golfers can go out and play nine holes and hit two or three really good shots, and that's what they talk about in the clubhouse. Once you become addicted and develop as a golfer, you'll talk about just the few bad shots you hit. By providing a challenge for everyone, this sport will continue to flourish. "

YST: Where do you see Golf Resources Group in 10 years?
"I see us having the opportunity to do more course design. I really feel like, if we can keep building enjoyable, playable golf courses, like Bridlewood, then we will be very successful and will have the opportunity to help more people enjoy the game. "

YST: OK, final question ... what are your favorite tournaments to play?
I could never pick just one. I love playing the Colonial and the Byron Nelson because they are here in Texas, and offer fine tradition. My other favorites are the Quad Cities and Western Open. It is always fun to play in front of your hometown crowd with your friends and family enjoying the game as much as you are."