GILCHRIST GOLF ACADEMY MERGES
WITH BISHOPS GATE GOLF ACADEMY
Over the past twenty-five years Gary Gilchrist has
successfully established himself as a world-renowned
golf teacher. He has been recognized by Golf Digest as a
Top 50 Teacher in America and most recently recognized
again as Top 100 Teachers in America by Golf magazine.
His career began as the Director of Golf at IMG academy.
Subsequently, Gilchrist accepted the same position at the
International Junior Golf Academy (IJGA) in Hilton Head
Island, SC. Andrew Summers had successfully been a
founding member of a number of investment management
companies, gaining considerable experience and becoming
skilled at setting up organizational structures necessary
to motivate and enable senior staff to excel in a “people”
business. In 2008, Gilchrist and Summers founded the
Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy at Mission Inn Resort & Club
in Howey in the Hills, not far from Orlando, Florida. Quickly
it became the most
prominent, independent
junior golf academy in the
world.
In 2014, Summers and
Gilchrist decided to
operate two separate
junior golf academies
independent from each
other. In addition to
founding the Bishops Gate
Golf Academy in Howey in
the Hills, Florida, Summers
also purchased the
International Junior Golf
Academy in Hilton Head
Island, South Carolina.
Summers has invested a
great deal of resources to create the best training facilities
in the world at both locations. The Bishops Gate campus
features a 9-hole course, which with double tees and greens
plays as an 18-hole course, student housing, dining, and
training facilities expressly tailored to allow young golfers to
develop their games while still pursuing academic studies
necessary to become competitors in college.
2
Gilchrist and Summers have once again partnered together
to offer the best golf coaching and training facilities in
the world. The resulting single junior golf academy, to be
located at Bishops Gate will be rebranded as IJGA, Bishops
Gate. Gilchrist will be the Director of Golf at IJGA, Bishops
Gate. Jonathan Yarwood will continue as Director of Golf
at IJGA, Hilton Head Island. Both are Top 100 golf coaches,
as selected by the Golf Digest panel. No other pair of junior
golf academies offers this breadth and depth of teaching
acumen and experience in its leadership.
Gilchrist and Summers also envisioned spreading to other
continents the experience they were offering junior golfers.
BGGA has developed an affiliate in Mexico, Gilchrist has
an affiliate in China and Summers anticipates closing on
the acquisition
of an affiliate in
India. Combining
their programs in
the U.S. will allow
them to strengthen
together and grow
their affiliates in
these three most
strategic continents,
creating the
predominant junior
golf development
program in the world.
Students will benefit
from the highest
quality of golf
coaching and golf
facilities, while at the
same time remaining
fully focused upon their academic studies. Programs at all
the IJGA facilities are dedicated to maturing their students’
golfing skills, while not neglecting the more important
development of their character. This is an exciting time to
be working with young students who are passionate about
their golf as there appears to be a heartening renewal of
interest in the sport worldwide.