Colin Elias

Stroke of Genius

Breaking down barriers is the key to inclusion and opportunity for all.

Lots of kids love to learn. By for Colin Elias, it’s an obsession, and it always has been. As a very young child, he wanted to learn everything he could about dinosaurs, astronomy, and street maps, to name just a few areas of interest. “I have always been astounded by our ability to learn as humans, and how incremental gains lead to incredible success,” he says. This same passion for knowledge carried over to sports as well, and Colin has tried anything and everything, including basketball, football, and baseball. But it was the game of golf that intrigued his young mind the most. “Golf was mainly a skill sport, which meant your abilities were completely determined by how hard you work. This spoke to me, as someone who loves the journey,” he says.

Colin began playing in U.S. Kids golf tournaments when he was six years old and has collected numerous accolades over the years, including becoming the youngest ever NYC Junior Champion and winning the 2020 NJ PGA Junior Championship. He is now the 4th ranked golfer in New York State. And while his love of the game runs deep, “I hate many of the ills it represents,” he admits. “The lack of opportunity in golf mirrors the lack of opportunity in society.” Inspired by golf influencer Roger Steele and his “Grow the Game” initiative, Colin is doing his own part to improve accessibility to the sport. He founded Staten Island Junior Golf to open up the game to more interested players in his area and to raise funds for local charities. In 2020-21, he successfully set up a tournament “with a price tag so low everyone can play” and sold it out to 40 golfers ages 14-18. “I luckily had two perfect weather days and was able to see golfers from all walks and backgrounds play in a great event together. And best of all, I was able to give back to NYC Junior Golf.”

Colin gives his time and skills to many other organizations in his community as well, including Lombard Academy, another initiative that he helped found. The academy matches tutors with clients of all types that need encouragement and support to gain and master new skills. He also works with his church’s youth group to teach basketball skills and impart the life lessons he’s learned from the sport. And he served as a volunteer in Congressman Max Rose’s campaign in both 2018 and 2020. Colin approaches all of these experiences as new opportunities to feed his hunger for knowledge and success, and often says he gets as much, if not more, than he gives. “Ironically, through all the sports I’ve played, on the sidelines coaching was the most excited I’ve ever been!”