GILCHRIST GOLF ACADEMY MERGES WITH BISHOPS GATE GOLF ACADEMY
Over the past twenty-five years Gary Gilchrist has successfully established himself as a world-renowned golf teacher. He has been recognized by Golf Digest as a Top 50 Teacher in America and most recently recognized again as Top 100 Teachers in America by Golf magazine. His career began as the Director of Golf at IMG academy. Subsequently, Gilchrist accepted the same position at the International Junior Golf Academy (IJGA) in Hilton Head Island, SC. Andrew Summers had successfully been a founding member of a number of investment management companies, gaining considerable experience and becoming skilled at setting up organizational structures necessary to motivate and enable senior staff to excel in a “people” business. In 2008, Gilchrist and Summers founded the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey in the Hills, not far from Orlando, Florida. Quickly it became the most prominent, independent junior golf academy in the world.
In 2014, Summers and Gilchrist decided to operate two separate junior golf academies independent from each other. In addition to founding the Bishops Gate Golf Academy in Howey in the Hills, Florida, Summers also purchased the International Junior Golf Academy in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Summers has invested a great deal of resources to create the best training facilities in the world at both locations. The Bishops Gate campus features a 9-hole course, which with double tees and greens plays as an 18-hole course, student housing, dining, and training facilities expressly tailored to allow young golfers to develop their games while still pursuing academic studies necessary to become competitors in college.
Gilchrist and Summers have once again partnered together to offer the best golf coaching and training facilities in the world. The resulting single junior golf academy, to be located at Bishops Gate will be rebranded as IJGA, Bishops Gate. Gilchrist will be the Director of Golf at IJGA, Bishops Gate. Jonathan Yarwood will continue as Director of Golf at IJGA, Hilton Head Island. Both are Top 100 golf coaches, as selected by the Golf Digest panel. No other pair of junior golf academies offers this breadth and depth of teaching acumen and experience in its leadership.
Gilchrest and Summers also envisioned spreading to other continents the experience they were offering junior golfers. BGGA has developed an affiliate in Mexico, Gilchrist has an affiliate in China and Summers anticipates closing on the acquisition of an affiliate in India. Combining their programs in the U.S. will allow them to strengthen together and grow their affiliates in these three most strategic continents, creating the predominant junior golf development program in the world. Students will benefit from the highest quality of golf coaching and golf facilities, while at the same time remaining fully focused upon their academic studies. Programs at all the IJGA facilities are dedicated to maturing their students’ golfing skills, while not neglecting the more important development of their character. This is an exciting time to be working with young students who are passionate about their golf as there appears to be a heartening renewal of interest in the sport worldwide.
About Bishops Gate Golf Academy
The Mission of the Bishops Gate Golf Academy (BGGA) is to inspire and build excellence of golf skill and character in our student-athletes. BGGA’s golf development program combines athletics and academics for high school and postgraduate students with boarding and non-boarding options. Our coaching team delivers a strong individualized program that combines technical, mental, strategic and physical development in an ongoing cycle of training, preparation and tournament competition. (www.bgga.com)
CONTACT:
Yegs Ramiah
yegsr@ijsa.com
855-378-8177
