By Chris Gay
Photos courtesy of Edgar Evans Jr.

Edgar Evans Jr.’s ambitious golf adventure started in middle school when his father purchased a $20 set of used golf clubs at a yard sale. Fast forward two decades later and Evans has his hands in myriad projects — an instructional golf book, a line of golf shoes and his golf-themed TV show. 

And he’s not done.

This year, the Martinez, Georgia native plans to attend the Professional Golfers’ Association Latinoamérica Qualifying School (Q-School) with the hopes of playing tour golf. “I’m all in on being successful and making my dreams come true,” he says. “I’m crazy enough to believe it’s possible.”

Evans has turned his possibilities into realities in recent years. He first fell in love with golf the summer before seventh grade — the day his father bought those golf clubs and hit a few balls in the yard. Young Edgar, who grew up playing every sport possible, asked his father if he could try out the new clubs. He tossed a ball on the ground, brought his club back and striped a ball into their neighbor’s yard. Evans was hooked.

He began watching the Golf Channel, teaching himself how to play through instructional videos. Then, he began playing golf through the First Tee—Augusta program off Damascus Road. He also spent many days across Wrightsboro Road at Forest Hills Golf Club, taking advantage of the junior rate, all day for $10.

While his game continued to develop, he encountered a minor setback when he got cut from the Evans High School golf team as a sophomore. Evans fought back by working harder on his game. When he tried out again in his junior year, he not only made the squad but he posted one of the lowest-scoring averages on the team. 

His newfound efforts helped lead him to Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, La., where he received a golf scholarship. Evans dreamed of becoming a professional golfer, but when he graduated with a marketing degree he didn’t have the golf equipment or the instruction to take his game to the next level. So he went in another direction.

“Like anybody, I had to find a job,” he says. Through a career fair at school, he found a managerial position selling paint in rural Louisiana — a long way from everything, including golf. “I knew that wasn’t my life’s calling.”

One slow day at the store, he had an epiphany to return to Georgia. On the PGA website, he found a minimum wage job doing things like cleaning golf clubs/carts and picking up balls on the range at the Atlanta Country Club. It was an entry-level job, but it helped him pursue his dreams. 

He took the job in 2015 and mentioned his plans to Head Professional Scott Schroeder, who in turn, told his newest employee he would help him as long as he worked hard. Three months into the job, Evans was promoted to assistant caddie master. Several months later, he became an assistant pro. The move opened up a new world for him. He was able to get new golf equipment and work on his game. It also allowed him to pursue another gig as an entrepreneur.

In 2018, he released his instructional golf book. He ordered 400 copies ahead of a book signing at the Atlanta Country Club. He sold every copy that night. With the profit from the book, he pursued the idea of a golf-based TV show. 

Evans hired a local film crew to shoot the first episode of Saturday Foursome on a Monday with three retired athletes who were members of the club: baseball sluggers Ryan Howard and Dan Uggla, along with basketball great Danny Ferry. Evans put together a one-minute reel he sent out to 200 companies. He found three sponsors to support his venture, using that $25,000 to purchase time on a local TV station. He shot three more episodes, with the golf show running at 10:30 a.m. on Saturdays. He continued to find more sponsors, raise more money and improve his TV listing times.

“I was going to put everything back into the show to make it as good as I could,” he remarks. “After we aired, I was determined not to have to pay for airtime anymore. I wanted to level up and go to a bigger station, a bigger network.”

One day, one of Evans’ close friends caddied for a Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) executive at Sage Valley Golf Club and mentioned Evans’ golf venture. The friend got his contact information. Evans emailed the executive, who advised him to move his show to a regional sports network, connecting him with a friend from the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) Sports Regional Networks. 

Evans got an opportunity to pitch the show, receiving the green light for 10 episodes. He expanded his horizon, shooting in Atlanta, Miami and Sacramento, Calif., while the show aired all summer across the United States. Now, he’s trying to distribute the show to more markets and streaming services.

“When I shoot a show now I’m trying to entertain, show some good golf, show some competition,” Evans says. He added his dream foursome would be himself, along with former president Barack Obama, entertainer Will Smith and comedian Steve Harvey. 

“I also want to show those conversations that are really important, the ones that show the other sides of people and stories people might not have heard. The more shows I shoot, the better I am at pulling that out of people. It’s only going to get better. My goal is to win an Emmy. I’m not going to stop until I make it happen.”

While Evans plans to hold the season four premiere of Saturday Foursome on April 8 in Augusta during Masters week, he also attends to other business. 

In 2022, he sold pre-orders of his “Edgar 1’s,” signature golf shoes, a two-year process that became a reality. Inspired by the Nike Air Jordan shoe line, Evans said he wanted to design and create a golf shoe that’s functional and stylish.

This year, he hopes to sell his shoes with a different color scheme. He plans to order 300 pairs of shoes up front, with customers able to purchase shoes from his website (edgarevansjr.com) and get them within a week. 

“I wanted to make something unique. I wanted to make something simple, but really effective,” he says. “My goal with the shoe is to inspire people. I want to show people that you don’t have to wait for somebody to make something happen for you. You can make it happen on your own with the idea, hard work and due diligence. I wanted to launch a shoe brand, and I did it.”

Appears in the April issue of Augusta Magazine.

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