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Jacinth Thomas is a 23-year-old student in the PGA Golf Management program at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore who is working as a summer intern at The Bridge Golf Learning Center. He recently fielded some questions from Charlie Hanger, our digital content manager.

CH: Tell us how you first got into golf.

JT: I was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a cancer that starts in the kidneys, when I was 9, and I had to have one of my kidneys removed. Before that surgery, I played basketball and football, but after the surgery the doctor told me I had to stop playing contact sports. My mom noticed how much I liked mini-golf, and she said, “Why don’t you try actual golf?” So I did. I was around 12 years old when I took my first golf lesson with the First Tee at Dyker Beach in Brooklyn. Cancer was a blessing in a certain way because it led me down this path.

CH: How long were you in treatment?

JT: About four years. I had the surgery and went through chemo at NYU. It was only about four years ago when I was able to stop going in for regular checkups. Golf was like a safe haven for me. It helped me get through chemo and cancer.

CH: What other junior golf programs were you involved in?

JT: I was the No. 1 varsity player for Curtis High School in Staten Island all four years, and I also went to sleepaway golf camp at Duke for two summers. The best story about that was the time I got to see Michael Jordan on the course. We were working on our short game, and I looked to the left, and there was Michael Jordan on the tee box. All of the coaches were like, “Don’t freak out, but that’s Michael Jordan.” He just waved and said enjoy your lessons.

CH: When did you decide you wanted to make a living in golf?

JT: After the cancer, it was very important to me that I give back to my community. I wanted to be able to inspire minorities and other people to help grow the game.

CH: What was your path to the PGA Golf Management program at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore?

JT: After high school, I went to the PGM program at UNLV on a full-ride academic scholarship. It’s a specialized program, so you had to have at least a 3.5 GPA and an 8 handicap to be considered. From there, I transferred to UMES, which is the only HBCU with a PGM program.

CH: What are the differences between the two programs?

JT: About 60% of the students in my program are black. Kids come from all around the country, and most of the time they haven’t played much with other people of color who are around the same age. When we all came to UMES, it was definitely a motivating thing to know that you’re not the only one of your skin tone who plays golf. At UNLV, I was the only black kid in the program with 30 other students. That’s challenging and discouraging sometimes, but it was definitely an eye-opening experience.

When I was at UNLV, Butch Harmon once visited and made a presentation about the business. After his presentation, he came up to me and shook my hand and said, “Golf is going to look like you in the future. The way you are, when I was teaching Tiger, it was similar. He was the only one of color out there, but he also had that drive and resilience and passion to keep moving forward and succeed.” He said I should continue to stick with what I was doing, and it really inspired me.

CH: Have you had experiences in golf when people made assumptions about you because of your skin color?

JT: I’ve had moments where people think I’m a caddie, or they don’t believe I’m in a PGM program, or that I have a handicap, or things of that nature. That’s another thing that motivated me to keep on grinding and getting better. On the first tee, I show them — right down the middle every time.

CH: Where else have you worked?

JT: I’ve had internships at Independence Golf Club in Richmond, VA, La Tourette on Staten Island, Chelsea Piers in Manhattan, and TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas. Summerlin was really big for me because they host the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, which does so much to help sick kids. I volunteered the week of the tournament. I worked on the range and in the locker room and pro shop. I was able to meet a lot of pros, including Vijay Singh, who was one of my favorite introductions.

CH: What attracted you to working at The Bridge Golf Foundation and The Bridge Golf Learning Center?

JT: I knew that I’d be able to reach kids and influence them in a positive way, to help grow the game of golf and give them a role model. It’s a program I wish I had when I was younger. I love that it’s not only golf, that we’re teaching and helping our young men with school and the ACT, that it’s not just a sports program. The Foundation is helping these young men get toward college and maybe a future in golf, and those goals align with mine. I’m excited to be a role model and mentor to them. It’s very important for them to see somebody who looks like them in my position.

CH: Beyond working with our young men, what are your goals for this internship?

I want to learn as much as I can about the entire operation and how to properly run this type of center. I also want to become an expert in TrackMan, understanding all of the data it gathers and learning the best ways to apply that data to help my students. I have been working with Randy Taylor and Brian Hwang and studying them to understand their teaching styles and how they use TrackMan.

CH: What have you learned so far? 

For one, TrackMan feels like the future of golf. It’s amazing that you can play a full round on the course of your dreams and get such valuable feedback, all without having to step outside. So far, Randy and Brian have taught me a lot about body mechanics — how the body works through the swing, and how body mechanics affect ball flight and angle of approach. With my golf swing, for example, we worked on stretching and used some training aids to get my body in a better position at address and impact.

CH: What’s your current handicap, and how much are you playing this summer?

JT: I’m a 4 right now, but I’m working to get it even lower. Every day I’m off work, I play. I usually go to La Tourette or Richmond County Country Club with some of the kids I’ve taught in the past.

CH: You’re living at home in Staten Island this summer. What’s your commute to Harlem like?

JT: I take the ferry to the 1 train, transfer at Chambers to the 2, and get off at 116th Street. It takes about an hour and 20 minutes to get there, but it’s worth it.

CH: What are you reading?

I’m currently reading “The Ultimate Guide to TrackMan Swing Analysis” and “The Eight-Step Swing” by Jim Mclean.