Major: Business
Jake Thurm came to College of DuPage primarily for golf.
“I played on the golf team during my time there, which was a big reason for having attended COD,” he said. “I was all conference both my years at COD and it was the best golf team I ever played on, comprised of future golf professionals, D1 players and scratch golfers.”
COD also allowed Thurm to figure out what to pursue as a major. While he earned an associate degree in Business, he also took an interest in psychology before transferring to Millikin University, where he received an academic scholarship and continued to golf. He was all-conference for two years before receiving a bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
Golf became Thurm’s career, and he has an impressive list of accomplishments so far. He has worked with more than 20 PGA Tour players and at more than 200 PGA Tour events; has coached in more than 20 majors, including each major championship multiple times with multiple players; and serves on the PGA Tour advisory board for BodiTrack Sports, Swinguru, HackMotion, MySwing Golf, Motion2Coach and FlightScope, helping to create certifications and curriculums for educational programs. He has appeared on the Golf Channel as an expert and traveled the world as a keynote speaker at summits designed to teach teachers on ground force and 3D applications to modern golf instruction.
His students have won PGA tour events, state championships in high school and state opens for both male and female players, including multiple Illinois Open winners and the Chicago City Amateur Championship. One of his club professionals qualified for his first major, the PGA Championship. Thurm is the Midwest director for the USA Junior National Golf Team and US Sports Camps as well has having the number one Nike Junior Golf Camp in the country. He also has academies at Links and Tees Golf Club, Ruffled Feathers Golf Feathers Golf Club and X-Golf in Downers Grove and serves on Wilson staff’s tour advisory board.
In addition, he is the co-founder/director of Instructional Technology for Terra Forza, works as an advisor for Foresight Sports and recently started his own LLC.
COD put me on the road that led me to where I am today.
Jake Thurm
Golf Digest has named Thurm “Best Young Instructor in America 2016-2020” and “Best Teacher in Your State 2017-2027,” Chicago Golf Report has named him “Instructor of the Year 2017-2018,” and Golf Magazine has named him “Top 100 Teachers to Watch 2017-2027.” Golf Magazine also published three of his articles during the past three years.
“The thing that first attracted me to golf was the fact that everyone told me it was the hardest sport to play,” he said. “After playing and now teaching the game for a quarter century, my opinion on that has not changed. I also owe a lot of my success to the best coach I ever had in team sports: Lou Solarte, PGA. Without his guidance on and off the golf course, there is no question in my mind I would not have achieved what I have so far in this business.”
College of DuPage was the right choice for Thurm at the perfect time in his life.
“COD allowed me to continue on in golf while giving me the time to find my true calling and passion,” he said. “ I can assure you during my time there I never once thought I would coach the best players in the world at the Masters but I can also promise you COD put me on the road that led me there and where I am today. I am very proud to have been a Chaparral.”