El Segundo, CA – Golf Inc. magazine, a leading golf industry publication, has named Joshua Jacobs as one of the game’s “innovators and 18 most creative risk-takers” who are at the cutting edge of improving the golf industry. The citation appeared in the Spring 2013 issue.
Jacobs is the founder and chief executive officer of TGA Premier Junior Golf (TGA), which stands for Teach, Grow, and Achieve. TGA has been enriching the lives of youth for the past 10 years through its after-school enrichment and golf course based programs that promote physical fitness, health and nutrition, education, and character building. Each TGA program is an independently owned franchise.
“It is an honor to be included among these 18 great innovators by Golf Inc. magazine,” said Jacobs. “This recognition is a testament to TGA’s corporate team and all of our franchisees who have believed in and do a tremendous job following our unique model that positively impacts youth while growing the game of golf amongst ages 5-13 and activates their parents ages 25-45.”
Golf Inc. invited readers to nominate the most innovative people in the golf industry during the past few years. They received over 220 nominations. “Our editors then selected the 18 we felt met our standard of doing something that was new, unique and captured the imagination of others,” according to the magazine.
Ten years ago Jacobs, a collegiate golfer and graduate of Emory University, identified a gap in introducing the game of golf to young people under the age of 10. In partnership with Steve Tanner, chief operating officer of TGA, they developed this new business model in the industry for bringing the sport directly to children and families through schools.
With no backing from the golf industry, TGA has grown to become the largest and only after-school junior golf enrichment program in the country growing the sport by over 200,000 juniors while reaching over 900,000 families. Recently Jacobs and Tanner developed the same business model for tennis in partnership with the United States Tennis Association.
“It is the first entrepreneur-business model to grow the game of golf,” Jacobs explained to the magazine. “Golf is one of the few sports that traditionally has not been taught in schools, so unless mom or dad is a golfer, youth have had little chance to be exposed to the sport. We wanted to break down the barriers of accessibility and affordability.”
TGA continues its steady growth with 48 golf franchises spanning 22 states and over 2000 schools.
About TGA Premier Junior Golf
TGA Premier Junior Golf (TGA), which has been enriching the lives of youth for the past 10 years through its leading school-based youth golf programs, is an innovative franchise model for self-starters who enjoy working with children in a business venture that provides a unique entry into youth sports, education and the golf industry. TGA makes golf affordable and accessible through consistent programs that offer physical education and after-school programs at elementary and middle schools, childcare centers and community centers.
Entrepreneur Magazine named TGA a “Top 10 Franchise Value” in 2010 based on total startup costs, as well as No. 295 on the Magazine’s Franchise 500 rankings in 2012. In addition, the publication has ranked TGA among the top children’s fitness, low-cost and home-based franchises the last few years.
TGA is a national supporting organization of the After School Alliance and Lights on After School, and is a corporate advocate and national partner of the President’s Challenge on Physical Fitness, Golf Coaches Association, as well as the National Council of Youth Sports. The United States Golf Association (USGA) under the Rules of Amateur Status also approves TGA’s curriculums for teaching the game.
For more information about TGA Premier Junior Golf, visit www.playtga.com.
Contact:
TGA Premier Golf and Tennis
Joshua Jacobs – Founder and CEO
(310) 333-0622
joshua@playtga.com
Kevin Frisch – Public Relations
(989) 614-0241
kevin@playtga.com
