March 3, 2021 | BY AAGD STAFF
On the GoFundMe page for James Tigabasa, a USGTF golf coach, organizer Naval Sodha says the Uganda-born instructor spent his entire working life coaching and mentoring golfers of all ages at the Dad Miller Golf Club in Anaheim, CA. Recently he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and, unfortunately, he succumbed to the dreadful illness on Feb. 17.
Tigabasa grew up in rural Uganda in the 1960s in a mud-walled hut, with no running water. Meals consisted of wild pig and antelope and he walked to school wearing just a long shirt because he had no pants. Years later, succeeding in America as a golf coach and instructor, he had pants for every day of the week and drove a 1999 Nissan Altima, too, according to a Golf.com article.
“James made sure that his family, who lives in Uganda (East Africa), was well taken care of by supporting them financially throughout. As you can imagine, the family is completely devastated by the tragic events of this past week,” continued the message on the GoFundMe page.
“To us, James was not only a coach but an incredible human being with a warm and caring personality,” says the organizer who is trying to raise funds for Tigabasa’s funeral and memorial expenses. “We are hoping to proceed with the funeral arrangements as soon as the OC (Orange County) Coroner’s office gives us permission to proceed with the funeral arrangements.”
When Tigabasa was 10 or 11, he started to carry at a simple nine-hole golf course located 10 miles from his home. Working there, he learned to play the game and to hit ‘precious’ golf balls straight. He later moved on to work at Uganda Golf Club in the capital city of Kampala. There, in his mid 30’s something magical happened, as it was at the club Tigabasa witnessed something almost too good to be true on the clubhouse TV: a Black man (Tiger Woods) winning a golf tournament. That win for Tiger was the 1997 Masters and it changed Tigabasa’s life forever.
When he moved to America Tigabasa was fortunate enough to get involved with the PGA of America apprentice program and the U.S. Golf Teachers Federation. Within a decade, Tigabasa, a Certified Golf Coach since 2010, had shot a 59 at Dad Miller. It would be his personal best. He worked there and later next door, where he met Bill Clinton. “I may be the only African to shake hands with Tiger Woods and Bill Clinton on the same day,” he said in the Golf.com article.
“James was a great man and an awesome instructor,” said David A. Smith of dasgolflessons.com.
Playing golf, hitting balls and teaching the game brings him a deep pleasure. He worked at the Tiger Woods Learning Center for less than three years and has taught a Tiger Woods Foundation scholar. A personal highlight for Tigabasa was when Tiger Woods put his hand on Tigabasa’s shoulder and praised him for doing a good job.
“My greatest blessing, however, was my role as golf director/instructor at the Tiger Woods Learning Center,” said Tigabasa, Assistant Golf Professional, on the Dad Miller Golf Course MEET JAMES page. “Teaching is my passion and I don’t have a ‘method’ or a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Instead, I’ve discovered that the more I teach, the better I understand the logic of what happens with each individual’s golf swing.”
