Golf pioneer William Lewis leaves legacy of success, caring

William Lewis was a pioneer.

Justin Martin, PGA, Lead Instructor at The Grand Slam Golf Academy, is one of the rising stars in the world of golf. But he wouldn’t likely be a PGA assistant professional, the lead instructor at Atlanta’s Bobby Jones Golf Course and on the game’s fast track if it weren’t for the influence of Lewis, his longtime coach and mentor who died on Friday at age 70 after a long illness.

“He was my first golf coach,” said Martin, who was barely able to choke back the tears when he mentioned Lewis while accepting the Georgia PGA’s Player Development Award at the Georgia PGA awards banquet.

It was Lewis who taught Martin the rudiments of golf on the range and practice green at The First Tee. Lewis gave Martin his first set of golf clubs, a set of Mizuno MP-14s with the directive to “figure it out.” But his impact was more than just instructional and technical to Martin and thousands of students just like him.

“He put the love for the game in me that I have today,” Martin said.

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