El Segundo, CA, – With a mission to provide access to America’s youth of all backgrounds to the game of golf in a fun and educational environment, Los Angeles based TGA Premier Junior Golf Founder and CEO, Joshua Jacobs, has been recognized for his impact on the game by being selected among the “Top 40 Under 40” by GOLF Magazine.
Nominees for this ranking were solicited from a variety of golf industry sources by the editorial staff of the Sports Illustrated Golf Group. The finalists were then determined by a panel of Golf Magazine editors and published in the November issue of GOLF Magazine.
“These 40 people, all under the age of 40, are the game’s up-and-coming generation of influencers, trendsetters and newsmakers, an eclectic mix of talent worth watching today and for many years to come”, stated GOLF Magazine.
Jacobs, 34, joins a select group of industry talent, which comes from such categories as Professional Players, Instructors, Business, Media, Equipment, Course Design and Greens Keeping, and Good of the Game. Jacobs joins the likes of entertainer Justin Timberlake, PGA Professional Dan Rooney – Folds of Honor, Amy Mickelson, Kevin Fletcher – Audubon International, and Guy Garbino – The First Tee, among the Good of the Game honorees.
“I’m honored and humbled to be selected alongside these exceptional people who are impacting the future of this great game”, said Jacobs. “I always believed the best way to grow the game of golf was to bring it directly to the masses in schools and provide an affordable, accessible and educational program for the future. We are doing that successfully with TGA, not only with bringing more kids to the game and creating a fun and safe learning environment for parents and the schools, but also as a unique business opportunity for entrepreneurs.”
Joshua Jacobs’ passion for growing the game of golf began in Los Angeles, California in the fall of 2003, where he started TGA-Premier Junior Golf as an overnight golf camp, which morphed into the concept of introducing children of all backgrounds into the game directly through the schools. The success in schools, which now total over 2,200 nationwide, is mainly due to the unique education concepts it brings and the at-risk time period the programs run.
TGA’s in-school five-level curriculum advances participant’s golf skills while building confidence and self-esteem. At each of the five levels, TGA instills life skills, a character development initiative as well as fundamental math, science, English, and history associated with the program and the game of golf.
“Our goal is to impact kids in every school and show them that golf can be fun and educational as an extension of the classroom,” said Jacobs. “After hooking them in our enrichment programs, we have the opportunity to transition them to TGA camps, clinics and tournaments at our partner golf courses thus helping golf’s green grass economy.”
The unique TGA program is run year round because it is adaptable to any sized space both indoors and outdoors, and has been conducted anywhere including fields, gymnasiums, black tops, multi-purpose rooms, cafeterias, parking lots, hallways and classrooms.
“By bringing golf onto school campuses at a reasonable cost, we break the accessibility barrier for kids to get into the game,” said Steve Tanner, TGA National Program Director and COO, who is responsible for training and developing franchises across the country.
“It has been a great experience working with someone as committed to growing the game of golf and impacting elementary-aged children as Joshua is. For him to be named among the “Top 40 Under 40″ is a true testament to his passion and vision, which kids across the country experience daily through the dedication of TGA’s franchise owners and hundred of instructors,” said Tanner.
“TGA’s franchised business model has created a wide variety of job opportunities for people who enjoy working with children in a business venture that provides a unique entry into youth sports, education, and the golf industry,” said Jacobs. “To grow the game and open successful businesses during these economic times are a true testament to the last seven years of running this business.”
TGA is now the Premier Junior Golf Program in the United States and the only national at-school, after school, golf enrichment program in the country. As a leading initiative to grow junior golf in the U.S., to date, 90,000 children have been through the TGA program in the unique in school/after school programs as well as camps, clinics and tournaments at golf courses.
TGA – Premier Junior Golf is based in Los Angeles, California and offers its programs in 48 territories in 21 states across the country. For more information, visit www.golftga.com.
Contact:
TGA – Premier Junior Golf
Joshua Jacobs – CEO
(310) 333-0622
joshua@golftga.com
Fusion Media Strategies
Kevin Frisch
(989) 614-0241
kevin@fusionmediastrategies.com
