090717 SWB DIGITAL EDITION

14 x September 7 - 20, 2017 x www.SouthwestOrlandoBulletin.com
Junior Players Golf Academy
It’s More Than Training Champions
Interested in playing for your favorite
college team or one day rubbing
elbows with pro golfer Rory
McElroy? Visit the Junior Players
Golf Academy for a day, and
you’ll see that these impressive
goals of golfing success are not only
dreams but realities.
The world-renowned Junior Players
Golf Academy has received acclaim
for producing quality junior golfers
at its Hilton Head, South Carolina,
location, and now, a new location
has opened in Orlando to train
national and international golfing
hopefuls.
Located at the Orange County
National Golf Center and Lodge, the
JPGA golf academy accepts, not only
full-time students traveling from other
states and countries, but also local junior
players who wish to further their
passions for the game of golf.
“We are very simple and are a
boutique academy, where we don’t
have 100 kids in our academy. We
want kids [who] are here for the right
reasons and want to train to possibly
play college golf, kids [who] have a
passion and motivation to take their
skills to the next level,” said Keith
Bach, JPGA’s president.
On the Green
Much of the development of the
JPGA Orlando location was taken
from the success of JPGA’s Hilton
Head location, with a focus on five
key components: fitness, training,
schooling, facilities and housing.
Hilton Head’s 11,000-square-foot office/training
facility on the 5-by-12
mile island allows students the exclusivity
to harness their golfing talents
and be responsible for their needs at
a young age.
The Orlando location opens up the
same opportunities in a big way with
Junior Players Golf Academy prepares young golfers for challenges on the course as
well as in life.
improving one’s game and maturity
through Orange County National’s
36-hole championship courses,
state-of-the-art driving range, and
practice areas that are perfect for
working on short game, especially
having access to the short course,
“The Tooth.”
“It’s a great spot to take advantage
of all aspects of the game,”
Keith said. “It benefits the students
as they learn and prepare for
tournament golf.”
For full-time students, Windermere
Preparatory School and
The Crenshaw School allow
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
students to continue their educations
as they attend JPGA, while students
also train in fitness and work on the
mental side of the game to help them
prepare for the mental pressures that
occur in competitive golf and traveling
for tournaments.
Structure & More
What Keith prides JPGA on and
families have found beneficial is the
structure of the golf academy for all
students, which couples well with
the on-site coaching staff, who are
equally devoted and passionate, just
like the students. Clive McCann
is the head coach for JPGA and
has an unbelievable passion for
teaching juniors.
“We want to make sure that the
students are successful in everything
in addition to golf, like doing well in
school, doing well at home, and going
on the road,” Keith said. “There
are certain guidelines that we stick
to in making sure that students are
there for the right reasons, because
they tend to become more successful
that much quicker.”
One example is Ewen Ferguson,
a previous JPGA student, who recently
turned professional last year
and won the 2013 Boys Amateur
Championship, 2014 Scottish Match
and Stroke Play, 2015 Walker Cup,
and took part in the Professional
European Tour last year. He plans to
come back to train again with JPGA
coaches in the near future.
Another JPGA success story is
that of a teenage girl from Chile.
She went from being a beginner
golfer, not being able to break 100,
to playing for one of the most reputable
colleges in South Carolina for
women’s golf.
“We have taken students [who]
are very good players to students
[who] are somewhat beginner level,
who have realized that golf is
something they want to pursue and
want to play college golf,” Keith
said. “It’s our job to guide and make
them better, while nurturing the students
and giving them a sense of
independence.”
Words can only do so much, so
plan a visit today, and see how the
Junior Players Golf Academy can
help your child achieve success in
both golf and life.
For more information about Junior Players Golf
Academy, call 843-686-3355 or visit jrpga.com. ª