Jordan Spieth’s first golf coach does the right thing from the links to Ukraine

At first glance, you think you know Joey Anders’ story. You see the effortless golf swing, the beaming smile and the credentials-ranging from being one of Jordan Spieth’s first teachers to being named one of the 50 Top U.S. Kids Instructors in North America-and it’s easy to be a little jealous. Until you know the whole story.

The truth is, Joey Anders, PGA Class A pro and lead teaching professional at Dallas-based Brookhaven Country Club, got to where he is today with guts, dedication and a dogged determination to “do the right thing”-whether he’s coaching a budding tour phenom or living his life.

This is not the story of a little boy who grew up wanting to be golf pro. Quite the opposite. Though naturally gifted in sports, Anders never took up the game of golf until he was in college. In fact, until he turned pro, he only had a couple of lessons himself.

From Tour to Teaching Pro—and the Jordan Spieth Connection

“I tried out for the Canadian Tour, but didn’t like the travel. I learned early on that, as much as I like golf, I’m a family guy. I had just gotten married and we wanted kids. I didn’t want a job where I was always away from home, ” Anders said. “And there was no real guarantee of income. I wanted to be a better father than that.”

So, he focused on teaching.

“The people who had the greatest impact on me-who gave me confidence and character-were my coaches. Teaching golf, like coaching, gave me the opportunity to be a part of someone’s life, to influence them,” Anders said. “With teaching, I’d have the chance to make a difference-whether it’s a kid with a dream or an adult who needs a little confidence.”

After graduation, Anders worked for the university golf course, then another in El Paso. In 2002, he landed a position as an assistant pro at Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas; helping with tournaments, and teaching adults and juniors alike.

One of his first students at Brookhaven? An eight-year-old named Jordan Spieth.

“The first time I saw his swing, how he hit the ball squarely on the face, I thought, ‘wow, there’s a lot of golf talent here in Dallas.’ I had trained state champions in New Mexico and have never seen anything like this,” Anders said. “Jordan was always something special-he paid very close attention to every word I said, which wasn’t the norm for someone his age. His dad always came with him to the lessons. I think, at the time, Jordan was so good at so many sports, they were trying to find an area of focus. He was a great baseball pitcher. But, he also had great parents who let him pursue whatever would make him the happiest. As talented as he was at golf, no one pushed him into golf. He was fortunate to have the support to follow his own dream. In a lot of ways, that is the thing that’s made him so successful.”

Although Anders mentored many an up-and-coming golf hopeful during this time, he and Cecilie’s goal of staring their own family hadn’t turned out as planned. After incurring the costs and emotional trauma of working with fertility doctors, they welcomed their first two children into the world; a little girl, Madeleine, in 2004 and first son, Grey in 2007.

They were going to have more children after they paid off the debt incurred from trying to have the first two. Again, life changed.

“In 2008, our church brought some children over from an orphanage in the Ukraine for three weeks, with hopes of finding permanent homes for those kids. Most were younger, but there were two 15 year-old-girls who came over with the group. Although the church placed the younger kids, no one would house the older girls. My wife asked if we had the room,” Anders said. “I said, one of the girls could stay here, but we’re not in the position to adopt. We’ll do everything we can to help one of the girls find a home; we’ll take her anywhere she needs to go, but we don’t have the means to be the adopting family.”

And then, they met Anya.

Although she spoke limited English, this 5’7, 95 pound, undernourished girl had spirit. Her mother had left her in an orphanage as an infant, with some of her siblings. By anyone’s standards, this lovely child had grown up the hard way, fighting, every day-for food, for attention and for a shot at a better life.

Three weeks in the U.S. passed, and no one wanted to give her that opportunity here.

“It was a fairly desperate situation because, in the Ukraine, age 16 is adulthood. So, if you’re in an orphanage and turn 16, you’re dumped on the street, with no money, no skills and really no options. Most go into prostitution or get involved with drugs,” Anders said.

In just a few weeks, the Anders had grown to love Anya, this spirited, fearless girl who already felt like family. When it became clear that there were no other options for her, Cecilie, asked Joey if he wanted to adopt Anya-a feat that would not only change their life, but take upwards of $30,000, numerous trips to the Ukraine and challenges on down the road.

“I said ‘I don’t really know how we’ll do it, but I have to, because I believe this is God’s plan,’” Anders said. “Someday, I’ll have to face God and I don’t want to stand there and have to explain why I turned this down. ”

The members of Brookhaven Country Club rallied, supporting a charity golf tournament and silent auction that raised most of the required funds.

“The day of the tournament, it was pouring down rain-it had all the potential for disaster, but yet, 170 people showed up to support us that day,” Anders said. “It was one of those moments you never forget. Anytime anyone asks me why I work at Brookhaven, I think back to that day. Even people who thought we were making a terrible mistake stepped up and helped us out.”

Nine months later, the adoption was official. Cecilie was also pregnant with the Anders’ third biological child.

Read the rest of Joey Anders’ story at Purpose 2 Play, and follow P2P on Facebook and Twitter.