Golf Academy of America was a private, two-year

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

college offering an

associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

in Golf Operations and Management with a curriculum of

golf instruction Golf instruction is the art of equipping and training golfers to play better golf through improved awareness of swing cause and effects as a result of the actions by their body, the club, and their effect on the golf ball. Most great golfers have a ...

and golf business management. A

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

was also offered via a partnership with New England College of Business.

Accreditation

"Action to Withdraw Accreditation by Suspension"
was initiated by ACICS on December 4, 2018. Previously, Golf Academy of America was accredited by the ACICS to award occupational associate degrees. It was further authorized to award Associate of Applied Business Degrees in California, Arizona and South Carolina and Occupational associate degrees in Florida.

History

Started in 1974 in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

as the San Diego Golf Academy, it is the oldest golf school in the world. It was acquired by the Education Corporation of America in 2006, later renaming it to the Golf Academy of America in 2008. Prior to acquisition by ECA, SDGA briefly opened a Honolulu campus in Kaneohe, Hawaii on the island of Oahu from 2004-2007 to cater to the Pacific Rim.

Permanently Closed

The schools are owned by Birmingham, Alabama-based Education Corp. of America (ECA), which runs more than 75 campuses across the U.S. A statement on ECA's student information page announced the December 2018 closure of its campuses, including those operating as Brightwood College, Brightwood Career Institute, Ecotech Institute, Golf Academy of America and Virginia College. The move comes after the

Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) is a non-profit education corporation that was recognized until 2021 by the United States Department of Education as an independent and autonomous national accrediting body. ...

suspended ECA'S accreditation on Dec. 4.

Notable alumni

*Brett Melson, 2007 Recorded Longest Hole in One ever recorded at the 18th hole of the Koolau G.C. on the island of Oahu. http://www.cybergolf.com/golf_news/longest_holeinone_in_history_recorded *Dr. Steven Lorick gained acclaim as the golf performance expert for World Golf Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak and Hall of Fame Golf Professional David Leadbetter. https://www.mytpi.com/experts/STEVENLORICK

Notable faculty

Buddy Allin Brian Thomas ("Bud" or "Buddy") Allin (October 13, 1944 – March 10, 2007) was an American professional golfer who won five PGA Tour events in the 1970s. Early life Allin was born in Bremerton, Washington. He learned to play golf at age 13 w ...

, Five time winner on the PGA tour and author of the golf-instruction book ''Center-Line'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Golf Academy of America Golf instruction Golf in California Sports academies Educational institutions disestablished in 2018 1974 establishments in California Defunct private universities and colleges in California