Greater Vancouver Golf Academy

I've played sports all my life...baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, tennis, golf...and the list goes on and on. When I was 8 years old, my dad introduced me to the sport of golf. I was immediately hooked. I became a junior member at the McCleery Golf Course where I attended weekly lessons with the assistant pro in order to develop skills and eventually take what I learned out onto the golf course. Being a junior member was the best thing I could ever have done as it gave me the opportunity to learn from a great teacher, Alec Macdonald, as well participate in competitive tournaments around the Lower Mainland. At the age of 16, I became the Junior Club Champion and had gained lots of experience playing in competitive events under pressure. Of course, not all of the experiences were 'great', but each one was an opportunity to learn and grow as a person while developing my game. One of the great things about golf is that it teaches you many other important life lessons and traits such as humility, patience, perseverance, success and failure. I was lucky to have benefited from these experiences at a young age and I'm one who believes that golf is not just a sport, it's a path to learn about life and how to deal with challenges that come up along the way.

I stopped playing competitive golf after completing high school as my focus was on completing my business degree at the University of British Columbia and I just didn't have the time to put into golf. Getting an education was priority as I'm a true believer that in life, you may lose everything, but no one can ever take away your education and your knowledge. I always wanted to pursue a career in golf and see if I was good enough to get to the next level, but 'life' took over and business opportunities came about so I stuck to playing golf recreationally with friends and have continually improved my game over the years. I did, however, have the opportunity to take lessons from one of the top instructors in the United States. Joe Thiel is an amazing man and an even more amazing golf instructor. He has taught many of the great players in Asia (including World Golf Hall of Fame Member Se-Ri Pak) and travels around the world teaching both amateurs and pros and I was lucky enough to be one of his students.

This brings me to where I am today. I've always wanted to pursue a career in golf and have obtained the necessary training to acquire a teaching degree from the Professional Golf Teachers Association of America. Golf is my passion and one of the things I love to do is help people improve their game. Whenever I've played with friends or in corporate tournaments, people always seem to look to me for advice on the course or on the practice range. I have a sound understanding of the golf swing and the science behind it and I'm always more than happy to share my knowledge and help people to enjoy the game more. I've learned so much through the game of golf and it's time for me to give back and help others learn the game, improve their skills and, ultimately, grow the sport in order for people to benefit from not only the game, but from the life lessons that are learned and experienced through golf.