Programs In Focus

Welcome to the I Got This Academy

By Tracy Hupko

Welcome to the IGT Golf Academy! Together we bring diversity, equity and inclusion to golf by providing golf instruction to golfers with intellectual disabilities.

Many people look around to see what special equipment we have and how we alter the game to better instruct our athletes, but golf is the same game played by everyone. Rather than alter the game, we address the method in how instruction is given and expand the personalities we can attract to golf.

The golf academy is the flagship program of the I GOT THIS Foundation, open to athletes ages 16+ with intellectual disabilities. Our professional golf instruction serves to build a love for the game of golf while developing confidence on and off the course. The program includes an introduction to golf basics, equipment and instruction (drive, chip, putt), and is based on methods used to coach former collegiate athlete and the foundation matriarch Amy Bockerstette.

What sets our 4-week program apart from others is the introduction of a Playing Partner. A Playing Partner commits to attend the academy with their athlete to work alongside them to either learn or better their own game. This approach encourages family and friends to grow together with a common interest. Stay together, play together!

Our 2022 Fall IGT Academy at Palmbrook Country Club in Sun City, Arizona features a family with the stay together, play together mentality. Playing partner Dallas plays golf but playing partner Cynthia does not. Their children Dallas and Kaden are new to the sport. They are not your typical golf family and that is what makes their participation even more impressive. They have stepped out of their comfort zone to learn something new together. Whether they play golf together for the next six months or the next six years, they are forging a bond and building memories to last a lifetime.

We are excited about the future and working to develop both intermediate and advanced academies to continue to provide playing opportunities for our athletes.

For more information about the IGT Golf Academy and the I Got This Foundation, please contact Tracy Hupko, Executive Director at Tracy@igotthis.foundation.