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Michael Lednovich
Michael Lednovich
Author

To get a new generation of youths hooked on golf, Josh Jacobs knows that getting them on the golf course is crucial. But travel, green fees and time, as all players know, can be obstacles.

“So I thought of a different approach,” said Jacobs, whose solution was to bring the golf course to them, so to speak, by visiting schools with innovative equipment and methods to grab their attention.

Out of that idea came TGA Golf, an after-school program that integrates golf instruction and academics. Now in its 14th year, TGA has grown to 62 chapters in the U.S., two in Canada and one in Spain.

“More than 530,000 kids have experienced TGA Golf. We’re currently in 2,800 schools, community centers and golf courses,” said Jacobs, the president of TGA Golf, which is headquartered in El Segundo. “Over the next five years we forecast we’ll have 100 chapters and will have had 1 million kids in the program.”

Jacobs has been a golfer since he was 3 years old, and the concept for TGA Golf came when his younger sister was talking about after-school activities.

“I asked her if golf was included in the programs. She said no,” Jacobs recalled. “I began researching after-school programs in Los Angeles and found golf really didn’t exist. So I developed a curriculum, found a golf ball that was safe and began selling the program.”

Named in 2010 by Golf Magazine and Sports Illustrated as one of the Top 40 influential people in golf under the age of 40, Jacobs, who was a Fox Sports TV producer after graduating from Emory University, recalls launching TGA Golf in 2003 at a private school in Los Angeles.

“The only area available to us were the hallways of the school,” he said. “We had special distance-limited soft golf balls, set up our mats and putting greens and had 17 kids in the program. By the end of the year we were in six schools and, in 2007, TGA Golf went national.”

Jacobs credits the growth to a “we take care of everything” approach.

“We run the program one hour before or one hour after school ends. We provide all of the equipment. All the kids have to do is show up and play,” he said. “On average, it’s $99 for a six-week course. Parents realize the value in both time and cost.”

In addition to after-school programs, TGA Golf offers summer camps, Play Days where kids take their game to the golf course and coed golf leagues. In 2005, TGA Golf partnered with the Southern California PGA to promote junior golf, and the effort was so successful that the SCPGA now runs a TGA Golf program in northern San Diego and two in Orange County.

“The PGA recognized our ability to activate and engage kids who had never played the game,” Jacobs said. “And, of course, the Southern California PGA is one of the top players in junior golf with its Toyota Cup tournaments, so they see how TGA Golf can educate parents on how we create a pathway for their children to those events.”

Another TGA Golf landmark came this year with the launch of TGA brand golf clubs.

“Parents are always asking us about where to get junior clubs. It was another opportunity to grow,” Jacobs said. “We have seven different models and weights of clubs for both boys and girls. We spent a year testing shafts and clubheads and think we have the best, cost-affordable clubs on the market for juniors.”

No matter the club used, Jacobs marvels at the joy each time a student hits a shot in the air for the first time.

“They’re beaming from ear to ear. They’ve accomplished their goal,” he said. “Once they get the ball airborne, they’re hooked on the game. That’s what it’s about.”

He’s also seeing the fruits of TGA Golf graduates experiencing success in competitive events.

“The class of 2007 is now in their late teens or college years. They’re doing well in tournaments, and it’s great to follow their development from TGA Golf to tournament champions,” Jacobs said. “It’s nice to see we’re having a lasting effect on golfers and the golf industry. We’re still progressing and there’s a lot more growth, particularly in the Midwest, so we’re not resting on our laurels.”