In celebration of Masters Week, Augusta’s Topgolf partnered with First Tee to host this year’s first Camp Jain on Thursday evening, April 11.
At 437 Topgolf Way, more than 200 kids and family members enjoyed the one-day, golf-themed summer camp, where attendees of all ages were invited to feel like kids again.
Inspired by the creation of Jain, golf’s first animated character, Topgolf’s Director of Entertainment Marketing Connor Smith said Camp Jain was designed to connect family members through the game of golf.
“The goal is to introduce golf in a fun way to families and especially their children,” he said. “A lot of times it’s super formal, and there’s an idea of how golf ‘should be,’ but this is a totally different experience. This is giving them a taste of what golf could be.”
Founder of Jain Chris Hovsepian, said he hoped his animated creation could help extend golf’s fun, while peaking young children’s interest in the outdoor and physical world.
“I have a two-and-a-half year old daughter at home, and I wanted to find a way to make her fall in love with the game in a playful way,” he said. “I started this around a year and a half ago, so being here in Augusta now, at sort of the center of golf’s universe, is really nuts to me.”
Inspired by Disney and other popular animated movie companies, Hovsepian said Jain’s character embodied the fun of golf and summer camp all in one – something he hoped every attendee walked away remembering.
“Jain is just the mascot. What we’re doing here is bringing families together … golf should be a game that brings everyone together,” he said. “It shouldn’t be taken so seriously for children. A lot of people are here and are just having fun at the concept of being able to do this with their kids and friends.”
An avid golf fan and father, Hovsepian said he believed it was important for children to become interested in golf, because of the sport’s ability to teach individuals about themselves.
“It teaches you so much,” he said. “There’s all these different aspects that golf sort of tests you with and I think we learn in those moments what we need to work on in a lot of ways. That’s why I want to start my daughter playing as soon as possible.”
Doubling as a fun camp-themed party and a fundraiser for Augusta’s First Tee program, Smith said Topgolf will be donating $1 to First Tee for every hour played at Topgolf Augusta during Masters Week, with a minimum guaranteed donation of $2,500.
“Anytime we can give back to kids and the community through charity, sign us up.” he said.
First Tee of Augusta Executive Director Jill Brown said she was incredibly thrilled to have Topgolf’s support as their program strives to serve children in Richmond, Columbia, Burke and McDuffie County.
“I also just think Camp Jain is so unique. I’m a lover of summer camp and when you think of golf, this is not what you think of,” she said. “But this is great way to ease people into it. I love it.”
Through a constructive system that emphasizes nine core values, such as honesty, integrity, courtesy and respect, Brown said First Tee’s six-hole environment has allowed children to associate positive memories and lessons with the game of golf.
“I’m so proud to see the families out today too, because normally parent’s are just observing but now they get to engage with everything,” she said.
As children completed mini golf and delighted in delicious Masters’ themed food, such as pimento cheese sandwiches, Smith said Augusta’s Camp Jain kick-off was a huge success as many family members smiled from ear-to-ear the entire night.
“The kids got here and they immediately started running towards all the activities,” he said.
Camp Jain co-organizer and supporter Sean Frantom, who also currently serves as Augusta’s District 7 commissioner, said he believed the event largely added to the special week’s enjoyment, as any family could come out and participate in the day’s pleasantries.
“This was just the perfect marriage between Topgolf and the Augusta National, from the standpoint that they’re both trying to grow golf. It was just a natural fit,” he said. “… for people who couldn’t get tickets to the Masters, I just think that – between this and the Mayor’s Masters reception – it gives people something to experience.”
Loving the competitive water balloon tosses, Frantom said he was enjoying reliving some nostalgic childhood memories firsthand alongside his children.
“It’s just a fun thing with many different aspects. It seems like everybody is having a great time,” he said.
Sporting camp-themed t-shirts, hats, stickers and flags, several attending family members were also already expressing their love for Camp Jain before the night was even over.
Attending mother Tonya Edwards said she believed Camp Jain could become a fast staple of the community during Masters Week, as it provided a family-friendly outlet for those who stayed in town and continued to work hard.
“It’s important to have fun and come out to support the community,” she said. “We all work hard during the week, so we need a way to have fun as well and just get out of the house.”
Painting azaleas pots side-by-side with her daughter, Edwards said she wanted to interest her daughter in golf, because of her own love for the sport.
“It’s important to broaden out her experiences and kind of get to know more than one sport,” she said.
Another attending mother, Leslie Vandenabeele, said she and her children wanted to participate in Camp Jain to help support First Tee, as her eldest son graduated from the program and now serves as a junior coach.
“We fully support First Tee; they’ve just been wonderful,” she said. “It’s not just about learning the game of golf. They teach them etiquette as well.”
From taking one’s hat off while walking into buildings to tucking in one’s shirt, Vandenabeele said her boys left the program with invaluable skills that they are proud to utilize.
“It’s just the little things like that – it builds character,” she said.
Next year, Vandenabeele said she hopes to see even more families attend, as she herself had enormous fun painting pots and taking photos of her sons as they played mini putt putt.
“Once more people know how great it is, why would they not come out?” she said.
For the future of Camp Jain, Smith also said Topgolf is hoping to continue expanding the event by opening in other areas as well, such as the U.S. Olympic Opening.
“We want to tie it to big golf moments and then put our own spin on it,” he said.
To find out more about Topgolf, visit: https://topgolf.com/us/augusta/
