Joining the team of instructors at the Golf Academy at Old Greenwood this season is Philip Dawson PGA.
“More than anything, I just want to continue what Keith Lyford been doing here for 14 years, which is providing a top-level experience for the people that come and visit the Academy,” said Dawson as he practiced his swing.
If that name sounds familiar, you’re right. Dawson is actually making his return to Old Greenwood. Back in the summer of 2010, he worked in Old Greenwood Golf Shop and also taught lessons at The Academy. His experience, though, goes far beyond that.
“I played professionally for nine years, I’ve been teaching 13 years. I got an award for top 25 elite player-coaches in the country nine years in a row. But more than anything, I just enjoy helping people,” said Dawson.
Philip Dawson, Lead Instructor at The Golf Academy
Building off the already stellar reputation of the Golf Academy, Dawson has a few tricks up his sleeve he thinks might interest folks. Because he is still actively teaching players on the Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Canada, and PGA TOUR Latin America, he has state-of-the-art equipment he plans to use to help Academy golfers analyze their swing.
“I teach with a Trackman which is a $25,000 Doppler radar launch monitor that measures everything happening with the swing and the ball during a strike. We can measure the dynamics of the swing on thousands of parameters a second, so it’s great for being really precise with teaching, club fittings and ball fittings,” said Dawson.
Think of Dawson as the next generation of coach at The Academy. He’s slowly working to take over the reins of the academy as Keith Lyford cuts back his teaching schedule and edges toward retirement.
Keith Lyford will continue to provide lessons on part time.
“I have always thought that it is a benefit for a teaching pro to be a good player, because as a tournament player every stroke saved is valuable for posting a lower score and moving up the leaderboard. So leveraging that experience, in the coaching environment, can make a huge difference in helping golfers at any level to improve. But what I appreciate most about Philip is his dedication to golf and his obvious love of the game.” said Lyford.
If you are interested in booking a lesson with Philip, reach out via email at [email protected] or via phone at 530.409.7464.
