FOUNDATION FOCUS
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How PGA REACH Programs Helped me Grow the Game as well as a Professional and Person. I am Brian Jacobs, a PGA Professional as well as a Lead Coach for Golf Channel Academy. I own and operate my own brand (Brian Jacobs Golf) and the academy at Mill Creek Golf Club in Rochester, NY. 2020 has had its “ups and downs” for some I am sure, but for me it has been “all ups”! Before you think I am not thinking clearly, let me explain. I love adapting and facing a challenge. I have utilized programming we have access to as PGA Professionals through the WNY PGA REACH Foundation. For my academy I have always done 1:1 long term player development, some camps through PGA Jr. Camps and then 2-3 times per year I would donate my time to branches of the military, generally, the Air Force. I would go to various bases and donate my time on the range and the golf course teaching enlisted, officers and families of the men/women who are serving our country. I would also visit youth at Galisano Children’s Hospital as part of a program called Smiles Fore Life that is spearheaded by PGA Professional, Mike D’Agostino. As I got more involved in these Foundation charitable endeavors, I learned more about PGA REACH/PGA HOPE and PGA REACH Foundation umbrella of programs then began to get more involved. My desire to learn more was fueled by the opportunity to help others. I started my year helping to do instruction for PGA HOPE at the Paddock Dome in Buffalo where each Sunday night other PGA Professionals and myself met with over 40+ men and women veterans who LOVE golf. It was my privilege to serve these heroes and I continued through the summer program all the way to graduation which was a “tearjerker” for me. We all, in my way of thinking, need to connect to this program as it does so much for the participants. I feel so humbled and honored to be a part of PGA HOPE! I was so taken by the winter and summer program I offered 4 Fridays in July for PGA HOPE Golf at Mill Creek Golf Club. We generally had 4 groups of veterans who made the drive (some as far as 2 hours) to participate in a free clinic then go out and play Mill Creek. This was, for lack of a better term, a blast and brought me even closer to the veterans. It helped me understand how vital these programs are for our veterans. We played lots of golf and had lots of laughs, ice cream at a local creamery each week and concluded with a chicken wing outdoor get together. On September 25 -28 myself and some of my sponsors will host 11 PGA HOPE veterans in Rochester for 4 days of “Rochester Golf” along with cookouts and camaraderie each evening. The veterans will bring their campers or tents and camp out on my property and I will make this an annual event. My goal is to raise awareness in my community of how vital it is to serve those who served us and educate on veteran transition back to their daily lives. This will be a small way to give back to veterans and again, my plan is to make this an annual event and raise not only awareness but funds for the important work PGA REACH does. th
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I was very fortunate to have multiple conversations with Doug Wert, PGA early in 2020. Doug is our PGA Jr. League Regional League Manager and a wonderful resource and now, friend. I was considering offering PGA Jr. League at my academy and facility, but was having difficulty recruiting youth. I decided to offer the program to youth and to the families (parent, guardians, siblings, biological grandparents) of the youth. As I made the choice to run what we call a “hybrid program” I wanted the families to be together and learn together not only because of COVID-19, but after spending many years as a public high school teacher I know what often makes the needle move and that is “community”. So many youth programs are “dump and dash” and I have always had an open tee policy. Parents are always welcome to stay and observe and understand what their child is learning. I believe this helps so we can all be sending the same messages when it comes to practice, preparation or competition. We struck gold! I had 8 families (32 people) participate in an 8-week program that included 90-minute practices and bi-weekly 9-hole competitive play from various yardages of 25 to 150 yards. We met on Sunday afternoons when the course was slower in play and the practice facility was generally empty. The youth and families ranged in skill from raw beginners to intermediate and each family connected so well. We had Dad’s, Mom’s, Grandparents, and siblings all in a supportive environment and it was fun to hear the cheers from the families for other families as they succeeded. When a family needed encouragement the culture all embraced each other! www.westernnewyork.pga.com/foundation
