PGA pros feel the force

Brian Manzella (front) and Michael Jacobs (back) check out a PGA pro's swing data at The Belfry.

A CPD seminar for PGA Professionals conducted by two of the USA’s top coaches – Brian Manzella and Michael Jacobs – proved a swinging success for both parties.

“We’ve had a blast,” said Manzella, who has been named one of the top 50 coaches in the USA by Golf Digest.

“This has been first class with an awesome group of extremely interested, curious, open-minded golf professionals. It’s the best group we’ve had – they stayed with us from start to finish.

“It was a very high level group. That’s the business we’re in and we love to share what we know. When people are this keen to learn it makes it a lot easier for us to do our job.”

Jacobs, named Golf Digest’s best young teacher of the year, added: “The desire to keep learning more was unbelievable. They even urged us in one of the breaks to not take any more questions and keep pumping us with information. They said they would figure out the rest later.”

The pair were referring to the 39 PGA pros who attended the seminar at The PGA’s Training Academy at The Belfry and paid £275 for the experience.

The two-day seminar ‘Use Forces, Torques and the Hub Path in Your Teaching’ saw Manzella and Jacobs presenting an interactive look at the information they have uncovered using Jacobs 3D – their bespoke kinetics and kinematics software.

Using the reports gleaned from working with and analysing the swings of multiple PGA Tour Players as well less accomplished golfers, the pair demonstrated how ideal and less than ideal club and body movements are created – both in the lecture room and on the range.

The seminar was the brainchild of Stuart Brewer, the head PGA Professional at Holme Hall Golf Club, Lincolnshire, and he was delighted with both the content and the interest in it.

“I’ve been a fan of them for a long time and haven taken a particular interest in Jacobs 3D,” he said. “To me Michael Jacobs is a superstar coach in waiting.

“So it’s great to get coaches of this standard over here – they’ve got so much to offer.

“I spoke to a lot of people attending the seminar and, like me, they found it interesting, stimulating and helpful.

“Hopefully we will see Brian and Michael again in the future as it is imperative to follow this up. I’m 55 now but am still learning. You can’t afford to be static in this industry.”