Bob Jacobs has had a love for golf for as long as he can remember. Throughout his entire life, he has played golf, which is a sport his entire family enjoys.
“My dad was the one who got me into golf. I also have older brothers who played golf, so that is kind of what got me started,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs attended school at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan where he graduated with a degree in marketing. Afterwards, he got involved in the golfing business and took a job in West Virginia for a while. He then moved back to the Chicagoland area and lived in the western suburbs of Chicago for about six years before moving to Valparaiso a little over 20 years ago for a job at Sand Creek Country Club.
“I was at Sand Creek Country Club for about 11 years total. About two years as the Director of Golf and then I was the General Manager of the club for nine years,” he said.
Jacob’s favorite part about working at Sand Creek Country Club was the constant involvement with the game of golf.
“I loved the people and I loved the game of golf. I really believe in golf and that is why I started the Northwest Indiana Junior Golf Association. Golf really brings people and families together and I think we build better people through junior golf,” he explained. “There are a lot of life lessons that you learn when you play golf, and people that grow up playing golf can learn those life lessons and apply them to life skills, and that is why I still stay close to the game of golf, even though I am out of the industry.”
He left the industry about 15 years ago when he was offered a position at Indiana Beverage by a close friend of his, and has been with the company ever since.
“It was an opportunity I just could not pass up. It was a difficult decision to move away from the golf industry, but it was a great move for me because Indiana Beverage is a special place,” he said.
As the Vice President of Sales and Marketing and the General Sales Manager at Indiana Beverage, he focuses on the four main parts of the company to make sure each component is up to standards.
“I focus on four main areas and help build relationships between them. It is about our team, our 2,200 retail partners, the breweries we represent, and then the communities we serve,” he stated. “We are all about being community minded and doing what we can to help in our community.”
Outside of working, Jacobs is still an active member of Sand Creek Country Club and plays about a dozen rounds of golf a year. At Sand Creek, there are club championships every year where golfers can win awards, which he has won a few different times.
“They have a neat tradition at Sand Creek where they will represent the Women’s Club Champion, the Club Championship the Men’s Club Champion, and the Senior Club Champion. They place stones with the names of the club captains and champions in the clock garden at the end of each golf season and the champions of the previous season get to hit the opening tee shot, which signifies the opening of the new golf season. I have won the Club Championship and the Senior Championship a couple of times,” he said.
In his free time, Jacobs enjoys spending time with his family, which includes his wife, Kathy and their three children, Lindsay, Lauren, and Bobby. Three grandchildren have added to the Jacobs clan as well.
“If I am not playing golf, I am with one of my kids, or grandchildren, just spending time with them,” he said.
He enjoys living in Northwest Indiana due to its strong sense of the community, and if you’re ever around him either after a quick golf game or at a local brewery, make sure to ask him this one question: “What is your favorite beer?”
The answer will always be: “The one in my hand.”