I’m lucky to do what I do, Jay said as we were sitting down for my interview for this article. And, truth be told, it shows every day when we see Jay conducting golf lessons on our driving range. Jay loves the game of golf—he always has—and this love of golf started when he was age two, the first time he swung a golf club.

Jay was born and raised in Ironwood, on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The Synkelmas lived on nine-hole golf course, which is where Jay learned to golf and, at age seven, Jay proclaimed that he wanted to be a golf pro.

Jay would play and re-play the nine-hole course and one day Jay and a friend played 80 holes of golf, from 4:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. Growing up Jay won many tournaments between the ages of seven and 17, as a junior. This was just the beginning of a long and enjoyable career in golf.

Born into a family of two brothers and a sister, all of the children were athletic. In high school, Jay played golf, basketball and football, but dropped football rather than be injured and ruin his career in golf.

Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.