The Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) has joined forces with The Grand Del Mar to launch the TPI Junior Performance Center – a groundbreaking 38-week program designed to maximize the potential of junior golfers of all ages, from kindergarten through ninth grade.

Combining unique physical and mental challenges, the program – the first of its kind – gets underway Monday August 31, on a 22,000-square-foot space on The Grand Del Mar’s elevated driving range tee box.

“We’re very excited about this extraordinary opportunity to partner with the leaders in research and training in golf fitness instruction,” said Shawn Cox, director of golf at The Grand Del Mar. “Together, our goal is twofold:  to build great golfers and to foster higher self-esteem in kids.”

According to Dr. Greg Rose, a founder of TPI, the Junior Performance Center deviates from traditional methods of teaching golf to youngsters, in which children spend hours at the driving range. “Instead, this program is based on the principles of long-term athlete development – rooted in understanding how the body interacts with the brain at different stages of life,” he said. “We believe it will help take golf to the next level in this country.”

Working with top-notch Grand Del Mar and Titleist golf pros, children participate in a weekly 90-minute session – including warm-up and cool-down sessions, team-building activities and up to 12 stations in a “FUNdamental Cyclone Zone” or a “S.M.A.S.H. Zone”. The FUNdamental Cyclone is for children in kindergarten through fifth grade and focuses on the body’s fundamental movement skills; while S.M.A.S.H. – Stability, Mobility, ABCs (Agility, Balance, Coordination and Speed), Sports Skills and Honing Golf Skills – is designed for youngsters in fifth through ninth grades and is more rigorous.

Milo Bryant, director of the TPI Junior Performance Center, stated that the Cyclone and S.M.A.S.H. Zones are the program’s core; each has kicking, hitting, throwing, putting, wrist release, chipping and catching stations. “In addition, there is a strength-building station and an area where children can begin to learn golf fundamentals, but learn them in a way they own the knowledge,” Bryant explained.

“While kicking, hitting and throwing provide an unorthodox approach to golf instruction, all help encourage rotational velocity, which is critical when learning the mechanics of golf,” Bryant said. “We’re teaching young minds and bodies how to be the very best they can be – ultimately, these kids will have a blast, and at the same time learn important skills.”

Each session is $40. For more information on the program or to sign-up for a session or a series, visit www.thegranddelmar.com. 

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