Renaissance Golf Academy, La Habra Heights

While many golf instructors compete on professional tours, few can also include the title of “TV star” on their resumés. John Lepak of Renaissance Golf Academy is one of those few: in addition to touring for the better part of a decade, he appeared as a contestant on Golf Channel’s reality show Big Break, which awards pro-tour exemptions to the winner of the show’s various challenges. Students of all levels can gain from John’s expertise and see if he really looks 12 feet tall off camera by enrolling in lessons at his private academy, where they’ll hone putting strokes on a 6,000-square-foot putting green and shore up full swings on the 16-tee driving range. Each lesson incorporates video analysis, providing immediate feedback of golfers’ swing mechanics.