TGA Premier Sports Makes Golf Accessible for Kids STORY BY CARL MICKELSON
Sitting here “sheltered in place” watching my kids take internet classes then having recess in the confines of our backyard trampoline, I’m reminded of times that suddenly seem simpler yet uncomfortably far away. One in particular was a fall visit to one of the most innovative introductory juniorgolf-in-schools programs I’ve seen in years. While TGA Premier Sports-- which has chapters in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio-- currently has its enrichment programs in online-only mode, their business model is too good not to share. When TGA programs return to these communities, you should consider signing up a child you know who could use more sports in their lives. You might find James Casteel’s after-school TGA Premier Golf of Tarrant County class decidedly louder than other golf programs you may have seen. However, compared to the unfettered chaos of kids at play in the adjacent open field — a never-ending game of tag (that, at times, resembles rugby), a toddler toppling unexpectedly over the top of a soccer ball the size of her entire torso and rowdy footballers trying to make their spirals sing through the wind in the key of Dak Prescott— the golf class looks as mellow as a yoga retreat in a Tibetan monastery. From a distance, Casteel and his 22 elementary-school-aged pupils, in their warm-up-stretch poses, almost appear to be moving in slow motion in the sectionedoff space Casteel has reserved (and organized into stations) for this weekly hour-long session. “During our stretches, it’s a great time to get everyone focused and ping them with some questions that jog their memories on what we worked on in our last class,” Casteel, a veteran golf instructor and TGA Premier Sports of Tarrant County owner, says. “It’s also the best time to review the academic lessons (TGA classes cleverly incorporate science, technology, reading and math (STEAM) into the PhD-designed class curriculum) so I’ll ask, ‘Who remembers what we learned about the effects of gravity… or spin?’ It always helps to engage their brains early, before we start hitting shots.” TGA’s innovative before- and after-school enrichment programs and local sports camps bring developmental golf,
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tennis and an array of team sports directly to the students, saving parents travel and time while engaging kids in healthy new activities. Casteel’s Metroplex-area franchise is one of 77 TGA Premier Sports chapters nationwide. TGA (an acronym for Teach, Grow, Achieve) is on pace to enroll its one millionth student in 2021 since launching in 2003. Five-year-old Chance’s eyes follow “Coach James” almost constantly during the hour. He’s timid but attentive and serious about improving his golf skills. He raises his hand frequently as Casteel engages the group, but only if college-aged Coach Taylor is at his side, a buffer from the stares of the much bigger kids in the group. When the class breaks into stations, Chance’s face reveals how well he executes each chip. His confidence soars as he’s the only participant to drop all seven chip shots into the target zone. He accomplishes this twice before it’s time to switch stations. For this shining moment, our rail-thin hero is the Short Game King. Station-based lessons keep every participant busy throughout the hour and reveal the crafted genius of the TGA lesson plan, which uses a handbook that is a lively mix of introduc-
