Tom Jansa grew up in the North End of Sioux Falls, honing his game on a makeshift course laid out across the Hawthorne Elementary playground. When his father, Cliff—an SDGA Match Play semifinalist in the 1950s—took up the game again, Tom joined him, graduating to Elmwood Golf Course while caddying at Minnehaha Country Club. He later worked on the grounds crew at Minnehaha CC under Gene Reiter while attending college. In 1987, while working as a foreman at McCormick Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale, Terry Comstock visited and suggested he return to Sioux Falls to work alongside Terry in the Elmwood golf shop. Over the next 30 years as a PGA Professional, Tom partnered with Comstock and others at Dakota Golf Management to successfully operate the three City of Sioux Falls golf courses. This tenure included opening Prairie Green GC and culminated in supervising the complete 27-hole renovation at Elmwood.
Passionate about growing the game, Tom brought First Tee programming to Elmwood, becoming the first recognized First Tee coach in South Dakota, and helped introduce PGA HOPE programming to support local military service members. In 2015, he succeeded Hall of Famer Rod Garrison as the Head Golf Coach at his alma mater, O’Gorman High School. While his teams have captured seven State Championships, his enduring impact is measured by the steady leadership, sportsmanship, and mentorship he instills in the program’s young golfers. His leadership expanded statewide in 2018 when he became the fifth Executive Director of the SDGA. An expert in the Rules of Golf, Tom has also officiated at three USGA National Championships. Tom’s playing career reached its peak with a second-flight victory at the 1984 SDGA Match Play Championship. Tom joins his brother Steve, his nephew Ryan, and Ryan’s wife Julie, in the Hall of Fame.
