GREENSBORO, NC-Marriages are often made in heaven, so the saying goes. Here is one marriage that was truly made in heaven when a golf pro and sales/marketing executive joined forces to acquire a Total Golf Adventures franchise for Greensboro and High Point, North Carolina.
That is the case when Brian Uhl and Joe’l Prochaska Sanfilippo decided that two heads were better that one in trying to build the 45th franchise in TGA’s fast-growing golf business. Brian will serve as the Chief Executive Officer and Joe’l will serve as the Chief Operating Officer.
Brian has 12 years of experience in the golfing industry, earning a degree in business management with emphasis on golf course operations from the Golf Academy of America. Joe’l, a Greensboro native, brings over 12 years of sales and marketing experience as a former VP with Bank of Boston as well as a restaurateur in the Boston area. Brian also has earned advanced teaching certifications from the GAA as well as worked at high profile golf courses such as Bayonne Golf Club in NJ. and World Tour Golf club in SC.
“There are usually two parts to any business,” says Sanfilippo, “Sales/Marketing and then the day-to-day activities of the plan. That is how we see growing the TGA franchise in this market. The other area that was of particular interest to me was bringing golf to the schools and working with the children in the community I grew up in.”
“We’ve been fortunate to bring on territory owners with a variety of backgrounds into the TGA model,” added Joshua Jacobs, President and CEO of the California based company. “The Greensboro team is particularly unique because it merges to of the most basic ingredients for success in building a TGA business-a passion for the game and a strong sense on how to promote it. Brian and Joe’l certainly bring both to the table and we know they will succeed in impacting the youth of Greensboro.”
Joe’l and Brian just received their on-site training and are off and running. Brian is working with local sports facilities to get TGA’s programs integrated into the community ASAP. “Golf is one of the few sports these facilities don’t offer,” says Uhl. “We hope to put a series of golf clinics together without cost to the participants to peak their interest and gain excitement about our new program. We are also already working with a number of elementary schools and private schools in the area, and will have them ready for the fall.”
Total Golf Adventures, The Premier Junior Golf Program, (www.golftga.com) was founded in 2003 with a mission to provide all K-8th grade students with access to the game of golf through the first national at-school, after school Golf Enrichment Program and other transition programs. TGA has put more than 50,000 K-8th grade students through its programs, and there are 45 other TGA programs in 22 states, with more than 1,800 schools participating. There is also a TGA franchise in Charlotte.
TGA breaks down the traditional barriers of convenience and cost when golf is brought to the schools. TGA’s 5 Level Golf Enrichment Program, developed by PGA and LPGA golf professionals and PhD’s in education and curriculum development, teaches the fundamentals, rules and etiquette of golf, while promoting golf’s life values through its character development initiative, “Play the Fair Way with TGA.” TGA transitions students from their schools to the golf course by offering camps, tournaments, clinics and private lessons. TGA is a USGA approved program under the Rules of Amateur Status.
TGA supplies its territory owners with the tools they need to succeed while building a strong base of corporate supporters that supply a variety of services and products to TGA territories. Just added to a growing list of corporate partners/sponsors is Staples®, which provides printed marketing solutions for all TGA territories. Already participating with TGA are Nicklaus Golf Equipment, the official provider of junior golf clubs, and Garb, Inc., the official provider of apparel for participants and staff.
TGA is endorsed and named as the official junior golf initiative by the National High School Golf Coaches Association (NHSGCA): is a national supporting organization of the After School Alliance and Lights on AfterSchool, and are a corporate advocate and a partner of the President’s Challenge on Physical Fitness; and is a partner with the Southern California PGA Section and Northern California PGA Section.
Contact:
For Total Golf Adventures: Alan Taylor C- 516 835 1151 OR alan@alantaylorconsulting.com
FOR GREENSBORO: Brian R. Uhl C – 843-450-3225; buhl@golftga.com
Joe’l P. Sanfilippo C – 336-207-5745; jsanfilippo@golftga.com
