Josh Powell

Bridging The Gap Golf, LLC Youth Swing Clinic

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us tell everyone about BTG Swing Clinic?

A. As a native Virginian, Steven Johnson, Sr. founded Bridging the Gap (BTG) Golf company to bring golf to the youth in his community. While playing golf professionally was never a goal of Steven’s, helping and giving back to the youth is a passion of his. Innovation, Integrity, and respect are the three things Mr. Johnson learned while on the golf course. He wants to help instill those things into the youth of today. BTG is all about bringing diversity to the game of golf. Bridging The Gap (BTG) swing clinics are designed to comfortably introduce a novel player to the basic fundamentals and principles of the game. Players learn the proper way to grip and swing a golf club and how to tee-off. We also have 6 and 8-week course curriculums. They are being adopted by a few local County Parks and Recreation Departments in the state of Virginia. We are looking forward to expanding this program.

Q. How is your business initiative received by golf courses/golf sanctioning bodies?

A. There is a lot of help and resources from many of the staff at courses where I’ve been fortunate to play. across the country, most golfers are very welcoming to new players to the sport.

Q. Who is your Golf Idol?

A. Phil Mickelson. Phil has the best short game in golf, he’s automatic around the green.

Q. What is the journey to becoming a great golfer?

A. The journey of golf is very much like the journey of life. Tons of practice and tons of stretching. Consistency is the key. Golf is a sport where you’re always thinking. Basically, find your swing, perfect it, and make it work. As we all know, in life, you have to find your niche.

Q. Can you tell us some things the community can do to assist initiative?

A. Introduce your kids to something different. With the pandemic at the top of everyone’s minds right now, golf is safe and a great way to stay healthy, plus it’s fun.

Q. What kind of encouragement can you give to a non-golfer to join the “BTG” Program?

A. BTG programs are designed for all levels of golfers. It introduces the “newborns” in a comfortable way and sharpens the skills of an intermediate or advanced-level golfer. BTG is bringing golf to more communities of color that have not been exposed in the sport. With BTG, they will be introduced in a way where they feel like they belong on the course. BTG is here to not only teach aspiring golfers how to play but the etiquette of the game as well helps build social skills. The golf course is where the business deals are made, and we have lots of creative ways to include more BIPOC and women.

Q. Any current sponsors (or ideal sponsors/partnerships) for your initiative and how have they helped?

A. We have received support from the entertainment and hospitality industries as well as sports. We also are sponsored by a locallyowned and black-operated pizza restaurant called Marco’s Pizza that donates to our youth swing clinics. There are a number of other companies I’d love for us to partner with - it’s all in the works.

Q. Can you tell us some of your goal/targets to gauge success? A. Our ultimate goal would be to increase the number of BIPOC in

“ We want to break barriers and share these unique opportunities, especially for young people. “

our local communities to the sport. We want to break barriers and share these unique opportunities, especially for young people. There are tons of underused golf scholarships every year, especially for girls. We overlook the sport because we don’t have much representation on the course, but we want to change the stigma of it being a predominantly white sport because that doesn’t have to be true.

Q. With everything going on this year what has been the biggest challenge for BTG?

A. Our biggest challenge was finding a way to have events during the pandemic. COVID-19 basically shut the entire operation down. It gave us some time to build our plan even further than what we anticipated. Golf is one of the popular sports that has continued despite the pandemic. Though were all uncertain about the future, we have put precautions in place during our events to keep everyone safe on the course. We were all scared not knowing what to expect and what precautions needed to be taken. But we are in full stride and back in business now.

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. You can find us on: Facebook at “Bridging the Gap Golf” and on Instagram @BTG.Golf and visit us on: www.btggolf.com