To the casual viewer, Golf and Football are two very different sports. Football is one of the most physical competitions in the world, made up of 60 player teams. Golf, on the other hand, is played alone and more dependent on individual performance. Despite their apparent differences, NFL players, former and current use transferable athletic skills as advantage in golf. Josh Jackson is a primary example of an athlete who turned away a career in the NFL to focus on pursuing golf. A decision which was even more difficult being the son of a 14-year NFL All-Pro Offensive lineman, but one Josh knew he had to make to follow his own Journey.
Josh started his college career playing Division 1 football like his dad, but decided to transfer to Kentucky State University, where he was able to play football and golf collegiately. While Josh was shifting his focus from football to golf, he still held on to those experiences from his childhood he would never forget. "It was amazing being on the sidelines for my dad’s career in the NFL. Being around guys who were dominating the league at the time, like Junior Seau and Jerome Bettis, was a surreal experience.” Josh was able to take life lessons from teammates of his fathers who were the best in the league at their positions for many years. Following Josh’s graduation, he was receiving calls about NFL tryouts and potentially following in his dad’s footsteps, but he ultimately chose to pursue a career in professional golf.
Even though Josh had spent much of his time on the sidelines of NFL practices and games watching guys get hurt every day, he was still not prepared for his first real injury. In 2014 Josh Suffered a patella rupture that put his pursuit of career in golf on pause. This injury forced Josh to not swing a club for more than two years, in order to recover from the surgery. The recovery process was something he had never encountered. “Everything was different back then; they did not pay as much attention to injuries. It was more of a tape it up and go back out there dynamic. I had no idea how difficult the recovery would be.” Finally, as Josh felt back to his old self in 2017, he decided to pursue a new style of golf for him: The Sport of Long Drive.
Four years after the surgery and now fully recovered from the injury, Josh added 17MPH to his Clubhead Speed and began competing on the WLD Tour. This was his first taste of the competitive Long Drive Tour, and he instantly knew this would be his future. “My first event was in Mesquite, and it lit my fire. I’m a pretty competitive dude, who hates losing, so after that event I knew I wanted to keep improving my game and establish myself here on this tour.” Along with competing in other golf events around the country, Josh’s ball speed and club speed continued to rise with the new focus on long driving. “My numbers just kept improving as I really started to focus on Long Drive and play more and more.”
Josh Jackson’s 2023 season has been building momentum as the season progresses. With Josh’s body finally feeling 100 percent he is looking to make waves this season after advancing to the round of 32 in the second event of the year in Hobe Sound, Florida and narrowly missing out on the round of 32 in Mesquite II after a playoff for the final spot. When he is not competing, Josh Jackson spends his time passing on knowledge of the sport and fitness tips to the next generation. His website, JoshJacksonGolf.com, gives his fans, followers, and young golfers a way to keep up with his weekly routine to prepare for World Long Drive. Look for Josh in the next events, as he is a player bound to make his presence felt very soon.
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