TGA Premier Junior Golf Launches First Franchise in the State of Oregon

Former banking executive brings school-based junior golf model to southern Oregon

Medford, OR – TGA Premier Junior Golf, the global after-school youth sports franchise company, has established its first franchise territory in the state of Oregon.
Jeremiah Paladino, a former banking executive, has acquired the geographic rights to TGA Premier Junior Golf in southern Oregon, which will cover the Medford and Eugene territory.

Paladino has been an active golfer most of his life and developed a strong passion for the game after his father and grandfather introduced it to him at age five. That passion carried through college, where he played golf for Missouri State University and later while he worked at a golf course teaching the game.

“I discovered TGA while doing some research for a golf-related project I was working on for my local Rotary Club,” Paladino said. “I got very excited about the opportunity to be able to take my passion for golf and make an impact on the lives of kids the way I was impacted when I was young.”

Prior to acquiring the new TGA franchise business, Paladino was a banking executive who worked 10 years for Wells Fargo and three years for KeyBank.

“The Eugene area and southern Oregon has become a very strong golfing market and we are thrilled to begin delivering our programs to the region,” said Joshua Jacobs, CEO of TGA. “Jeremiah’s work and golf experience will see him through to successfully growing golf in these two areas and building a self-sustaining business that enriches the lives of families.”

TGA’s five-level golf enrichment program enables children to advance from one stage to the next while building confidence and self-esteem. The unique curriculum is designed to enrich the lives of students through physical activity, health and character building. The program also incorporates academic lessons in math, science, social studies and language.

TGA Premier Junior Golf of Southern Oregon will impact thousands of youth annually by introducing the game of golf to children at elementary and middle schools, child care centers and community organizations. TGA will then transition students and families from schools to local partner golf courses through camps and parent-child events, and in the process create new golfers and generate new customers for those courses.

“Bringing the TGA Golf enrichment programs to the Medford and Eugene area elementary schools is a wonderful opportunity to enrich the lives of youth and teach them values they can apply to the rest of their lives as well as being a critical component to growing the game in the future,” Paladino said. “Once the kids realize they are enjoying what they are learning they will be hooked for years to come and fill up the local golf courses.”

About TGA Premier Junior Golf

TGA Premier Junior Golf (TGA) has been enriching the lives of youth for the past 10 years through its school-based youth golf programs. It is an innovative franchise model for self-starters who enjoy working with children in a business venture that provides a unique entry into youth sports, education and the golf industry. TGA makes golf affordable and accessible through consistent programs that offer physical education and after-school programs at elementary and middle schools, childcare centers and community centers.

Entrepreneur Magazine named TGA a “Top 10 Franchise Value” in 2010 based on total startup costs, as well as No. 295 on the Magazine’s Franchise 500 rankings in 2012. In addition, the publication has ranked TGA among the top children’s fitness, low-cost and home-based franchises the last few years.

TGA is a national supporting organization of the After School Alliance and Lights on After School, and is a corporate advocate and national partner of the President’s Challenge on Physical Fitness, Golf Coaches Association, as well as the National Council of Youth Sports. TGA’s curriculums are also approved by the United States Golf Association (USGA) under the Rules of Amateur Status.

For more information about TGA Premier Junior Golf, visit www.playtga.com or follow @TGAJuniorGolf on Twitter.