RYG™ Certified Teaching Professional
I was born and raised in Portland, and I absolutely love this area. From the mountains to the coast to central Oregon there are so many incredible activities right at your fingertips. I don’t know how anywhere else could be better. I have explored just about every recreational opportunity that Portland has to offer, but competitive sports have been my passion for as Iong as I can remember. After a brief attempt at basketball, where I quickly realized I was not going to be 6’8” nor could I shoot the 3-ball quite as well as I needed, golf became my biggest love growing up.
I picked up a golf clubs for the first time at age 8, and by the time I was 10 years old I was playing in competitive OGA Junior events. By age 13 I had established myself as one of the elite junior golfers in Oregon winning multiple tournaments, and placing 2nd in the state match play championship. I continued to play golf through high school where I captained the Wilson High School Golf Team to several rare appearances in the Oregon State Championship Tournament. After High School, I had some difficult decisions to make, I loved golf but I was not sure it was going to be my future. As such, I decided to attend the University of Montana and study Music instead of playing college golf. While I may not have continued to play competitive golf through college, the experiences and life lessons I took from the game were invaluable and they always stayed with me. I never lost my passion and love for the game, and after a brief period of studying and playing music around Portland, I decided to return to golf. My inspiration, however, was not to continue my playing career. Rather, I wanted to become the best golf instructor I could be in order to help others get better, and truly learn to enjoy this beautiful game.
I believe effective golf instruction starts with understanding and connecting with each individual player. I do not believe there is a generic approach that will work for all golfers. It is important to evaluate each player’s unique strengths and weaknesses to formulate a customized plan catered to their skill set. I work diligently with all of my students to establish realistic, attainable goals that will inspire improvement and the desire to play more golf. Furthermore, I believe golf instruction should be as much about how to play the game as the technical elements of how to swing a golf club. My teaching philosophy is based upon developing solid fundamentals and proper swing path. It is very important to understand how swing path impacts ball flight in order to create a consistent, repeatable golf swing. I can’t express enough how excited I am to have returned to golf. My enthusiasm and enjoyment for being a golf instructor grows everyday as I continue to pursue my goal of being the best teacher I can be.
During my time as a competitive junior player and since I returned to the game, I have taken many lessons and been exposed to literally hundreds of golf facilities around the country. I choose, however, to be a part of RedTail because none of these other facilities even begin to compare to the resources, technology and professionalism that exist here. Don't just take my word for it, however, allow me or any one of our Certified Professionals the opportunity to show you our instructional and club fitting amenities, and I guarantee you will be amazed at what we can do to improve your swing and enhance your enjoyment of the game.
When I am not teaching golf, I continue to pursue my love for music. I play guitar and piano, and I always look forward to taking some time with family and friends to relax and enjoy some good music. My competitiveness is still there as I also follow the Blazers and the Timbers intensely, and I will never turn down a good, spirited round of golf.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our website, and I hope to see you on the lesson tee soon!