Golf in Fountain Hills

As head instructor at Grayhawk Learning Center, PGA Class A Member Jeff Yurkiewicz calls on more than 12 years of teaching experience to help players improve their individual games. Jeff perpetuates the thorough understanding of the sport he received from his mentors, both Golf Magazine Top 100 instructors: Paul Trittler, host of Golf Academy Live on the Golf Channel, and Peter Kostis, whose detailed commentary on CBS Sports telecasts keeps viewers informed as to each blade of grass’s exact length. In addition to his work with Trittler and Kostis, Jeff boasts an impressive playing resumé of his own, making appearances in both the 2003 Phoenix Open and the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol.

Over the course of a professional golf career dating back to 1990, PGA Teaching Professional Ken Carpenter has developed a talent for helping students of all stripes, from beginners to tour players on both the Nationwide and LPGA Tours. Today, Ken applies his teaching skills at Westin Kierland Golf Club, tweaking swings to address unnecessary backswing hitches and under-rotating hip turns that might be sacrificing distance off the tee or Olympic pommel-horse dismounts. Ken can incorporate video technology into the lessons to break down swing mechanics in order to play back in slow motion or pause to illustrate how much a divot resembles a silhouette of Rory McIlroy.

At Scottsdale Golf Place, X-Golf simulators immerse golfers in a realistic replication of world-famous courses using accurate video analysis, high-definition graphics, and a 5.1 channel sound system. Golfers can play a round at Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, and Spyglass without having to put up with the exorbitant expense and secret handshakes needed to enter the courses. The simulator floor tilts to create uphill, downhill, and side-hill lies to reflect the player’s ball location on the course, and two video cameras play back swings for later review. With the available video playback, the simulator doubles as a teaching mechanism for Scottsdale Golf Place’s class-A PGA instructors, who use it to review a swing’s club path, ball-launch angle, and follow-through pirouettes.

Between Chris Fry, a PGA member and specialist in the biomechanics of the full swing, and Tyler Christensen, an expert on the short game, the instructors at Expert Golf AZ have specialty expertise that covers any and all aspects of the game. The teaching duo has conducted more than 40,000 private lessons, gaining a wealth of experience harmonizing swing changes to match individual body motions and abilities.

Students can take lessons at three courses: Silverado Golf Club, McCormick Ranch Golf Club, and Flagstaff Ranch Golf Club. At each of these locales, a menu of services range from private lessons—complete with V1 Pro video analysis and Flightscope X2 launch monitoring—to on-course coaching, reserved for serious golfers who need assistance with competitive strategy or someone to bring them orange slices at the turn.

A PGA Tour instructor and former tour player, Rohan Teasdale enhances players’ power and control by making each golf swing biomechanically sound. He operates his training school, G'Day Golf, at McCormick Ranch Golf Club, where he works with players of all skill levels to lower scores through the use of video swing analysis and a strict diet of sautéed golf balls. In addition to adjusting swing patterns to improve efficiency, Rohan also tweaks other facets of the game to produce well-rounded players. More than just a coach and instructor, Rohan acts as a full support system and friend to each student as they strive to reach their goals.