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2011 GCAA Convention Speakers Announced

The GCAA has announced the guest speakers for the 2011 National Convention in Las Vegas.  All speakers will be in our main convention space at the Tropicana, Cohiba Rooms 3-5.  This year's speakers will include Dave Stockton, Jim McLean, Jim Holtgrieve, Corey Ciocchetti, and Caleb Scorsone and Spencer Graham from ScorZone Performance.

In addition to the speakers seen below we will also have presentations on USGA Rules by John Reis and NCAA Compliance by Steve Clar, as well as our General Business Meeting and breakout sessions for each division.  The 2011 Hall of Fame Banquet will be held Monday, December 5 with a reception starting at 6:30pm, and the Corporate Partners Exhibit Night Tuesday evening, December 6, starting at 4:00pm.

Below please see our schedule of speakers with bio information for each:

Monday, December 5

ciocchetti
Corey Ciocchetti
- 8:00am to 9:00am

An Assistant Professor of Business Ethics and Legal Studies in the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver, Corey A. Ciocchetti is one of the University’s most popular and highest-rated professors. Corey joined DU after graduating with a law degree from Duke University School of Law, a Masters degree in Religious Studies and two Bachelors degrees in Finance and Economics – summa cum laude – from the University of Denver.

In August 2006, Corey won the Charles Hewitt Master Teacher competition at the national meeting of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business and, in March 2007, Corey was awarded the Outstanding Professor of the Year Award by the University of Denver Alumni Association. He has been selected as a finalist for the 2008 "Inspire Integrity" Awards. He currently teaches classes on Business Ethics, Business Law, Employment Law and Constitutional Law in a department ranked by the Wall Street Journal in the top ten worldwide for producing students with high ethical standards. Corey also speaks to thousands of individuals each year about “authentic success” and living an ethical life and is the author of the book Real Rabbits: Chasing An Authentic Life.

A Colorado native, Corey resides in Westminster, Colorado with his wife Jillian.

This will be Corey's second time speaking at a GCAA National Convention, as he was also a guest speaker at the 2010 convention.


holtgreive

Jim Holtgrieve - 9:15am to 10:30am

Jim Holtgrieve, whose stellar amateur career includes a winning record as a player on three victorious USA Walker Cup teams and an individual triumph at the inaugural 1981 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, is the captain of the 2013 USA Walker Cup squad.

He will lead the 2013 USA Team against Great Britain and Ireland at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, N.Y., Sept. 7-8.

“I am indeed honored once again to be named to captain the 2013 United States Walker Cup Team,” said Holtgrieve, 63. “The 2011 Walker Cup journey was an incredible experience for me and one that I will never forget. Golf fans, friends and family all over the United States as well as overseas were so supportive of me during this experience that I was praying that I would have the opportunity to captain the 2013 Walker Cup Team.  

“I want to bring the Walker Cup back to the United States, but I also want to lead 10 men to have one of the best golfing experiences they can ever imagine. I thought I understood the true spirit of the game. However, the Walker Cup in Scotland proved so much more to me about the real meaning.”

In 2011, he captained the United States of America team at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in Aberdeen, Scotland. Great Britain and Ireland won the 2011 Match, 14-12.

Holtgrieve was one of the country's top amateur players during the 1970s and '80s and earned a spot on winning Walker Cup teams in 1979, 1981 and 1983, where he had a combined record of 6-4. He also represented the USA on two victorious World Amateur Championship squads, in 1980 and 1982. A semifinalist at the 1980 U.S. Amateur and runner-up at the 1983 British Amateur, Holtgrieve won numerous state and district amateur titles in Missouri.
Holtgrieve played in five Masters Tournaments as an amateur – making the cut three times – and also qualified for the 1978 U.S. Open.

Holtgrieve turned professional in 1998 and played on the Champions Tour from 1999 to 2005, where his top finish was a tie for second at the 1999 Home Depot Invitational. In all, he has played in four U.S. Senior Opens and a total of 42 USGA championships.

The USGA reinstated Holtgrieve's amateur status in 2007 after he played in 122 professional events. He also serves the USGA as a member of the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship committee. In 2011, he was inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame.

Holtgrieve, born, Dec. 26, 1947, resides in St. Louis, Mo.


mclean

Jim McLean - 10:45am-12:00noon

Jim McLean is the 1994 PGA National Teacher of the Year. He is the owner of the Jim McLean Golf Schools which include: Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami, Florida, The Jim McLean Golf Center at Waterchase in Ft. Worth, Texas, PGA WEST in La Quinta, California, La Quinta Resort in La Quinta, California, Red Ledges in Herber City, Utah, SunRidge Canyon in Scottsdale, Arizona, Golf Santander in Madrid, Spain, Mayakoba Resort in Cancun, Mexico, Casa de Campo in La Romana, Dominican Republic, Miami Beach Golf Club in Miami Beach, FL, and the Jim McLean Golf Center at the JW Marriott Marquis in Downtown Miami.

Club Professional Experience:
Director of Golf at five top clubs in America
Sunningdale GC    (Scarsdale, NY) 1978-1982
Quaker Ridge GC (Scarsdale, NY) 1982-1987
Tamarisk CC (Rancho Mirage, CA) 1987-1989
Sleepy Hollow (Scarborough on the Hudson, NY) 1988-1993
Doral Golf Resort and Spa (Miami, FL) 1991-1994

Special Awards and Events:
Metropolitan Horton Smith Award
Metropolitan Teacher of the Year
South Florida Teacher of the Year (2 times)
South Florida Junior Golf Leader
National PGA Teacher of the Year (1994)
Co-Chairman, US Teaching and Coaching Summit (1992-San Francisco)
Speaker at 6 US Teaching and Coaching Summits
Speaker at 4 European Teaching and Coaching Summits
Conducted Three-Day National Seminars for Thailand, Australia, New Zealand
Speaker at Education Seminars at over 20 different PGA Sections
Conducted over 30 National Teaching and Playing Workshops for the PGA of America
National Education Committee for the PGA
National Awards Committee for the PGA
National Teaching Committee for the PGA    

Jim is the author of the following top selling instructional books, videos and CD-Rom’s:
The Eight Step Swing (revised 2001)
Golf Warm-Ups (video) 2002
Idiot’s Guide to the Short Game
The Golf Swing: Ben Hogan (Video)
The X-Factor (Video)
The Eight Step Swing (Video)
20 Problems/20 Solutions (Video)
The X-Factor Golf Swing
The Eight Step Swing
Sport ware Golf (CD-ROM)
Golf Digest Book of Drills
Swing Thoughts (Video)
The Putters Pocket Companion
Wedge Game Pocket Companion
The Eight Step Swing (CD-ROM)
The 10 Fundamentals (Video)
Swing Saver (CD-ROM)
Sam Snead, A Swing for a Lifetime (Video)
Golf Magazine
Golf Digest’s Ultimate Book of Drills
X-Factor II DVD
The 3 Scoring Clubs
Power Drills DVD  
Powerline
The Building Block Approach (2009)
The 8 Step Swing 3rd Edition (2009)
The Slot Swing (2009)

Jim is probably best known for his research on the golf swing and his work on The X Factor, which describes in detail, body motions, body angles and body positions. The Eight Step video is the all time best selling video on The Golf Channel and the all time #1 golf DVD in America. Jim’s “Eight Step Swing” book was ranked by Sports Illustrated as one of the top golf instruction books of the 20th century (ranked #11). The Golf Swing: Ben Hogan video has won 6 major awards, the most of any golf video in history.

Jim’s playing achievements include being one of the few people to qualify for the US Junior, the US Amateur (4 times) the US Open (2 times) and the US Senior Open and has also been a contestant in the Masters (where he made the cut). Winner of the Northwest Open and 3 time winner of the Pacific Northwest Amateur. Jim qualified for the National Club Pro Championships ten times. He also was an All-American at the University of Houston and has a  B.A. in Economics. He played on teams with John Mahaffey, Bruce Lietzke, Bill Rogers, Fuzzy Zoeller, Tom Jenkins, Bobby Wadkins, Bobby Walzel, and Bruce Ashworth. He was a winner of more than 50 Junior and Amateur Titles in the Pacific Northwest.  Jim was also named 1st alternate to the US World Cup Team in 1972. He played the PGA Tour during the winter of 1982.

Jim’s professional achievements include: National PGA Teaching Committee Member, National PGA Education Committee, National PGA Awards Committee and PGA Master Professional (1990). Jim has been an Instruction Editor for Golf Digest since 1997 and an Instruction Editor and Advisor for The Golf Channel since its’ inception in 1995.  Jim has appeared regularly on The Golf Channel Academy. He was the Co-Chairman of the PGA Teaching and Coaching Summit in 1992 held in San Francisco. He has led over 50 national teaching and playing workshops for the PGA of America and has been the featured speaker at 6 National PGA Teaching Summits and 4 Teaching & Coaching Summits in Europe. He was Master Instructor for Golf Magazine from 1990 – 1997 and was an Instruction Writer for Golf Illustrated.

Jim McLean has worked extensively with many top teachers including Jimmy Ballard, Art Bell, Jackie Burke, Harry Cooper, Jack Grout, Claude Harmon, Johnny Revolta, Bob Toski, Ken Venturi, Butch Harmon, Manuel De La Torre, among many others. Jim has worked for 35 years on golf research with Carl Welty (arguably the top golf researcher in the world). Jim also works with Dr. Robert Neal, consultant to the Australian Institute of Sport Golf Program, who has his PhD in Biomechanics from the University of Queensland, Australia.  Dr. Neal’s specialty is Golf Biomechanics and he works exclusively with Jim McLean Golf Schools.

Jim has taught more than 100 PGA Tour, LPGA and Senior PGA Tour players including: Dana Quigley, Hal Sutton, Brad Faxon, Tom Kite, Sergio Garcia, Lenny Mattiace, Curtis Strange, Bernhard Langer, Cristie Kerr, Blaine McCallister, Ben Crenshaw, Jerry Pate, Gary Player, Liselotte Neuman, Peter Jacobsen & Steve Elkington. Jim has also worked extensively with five junior golfers who reached the #1 spot at the National Rankings: Cristie Kerr, Erik Compton, Tyler Leon, James Vargas, and Liz Janagelo. The Jim McLean Golf Schools have produced many top juniors who have received college scholarships and have been All Americans. Jim is currently working with PGA Tour player Keegan Bradley and LPGA Tour player Alexis Thompson.

1973 graduate University of Houston, B.A. Economics. Married Justine and has two children, Jon and Matt.


stockton

Dave Stockton - 1:15pm-2:45pm

Born and raised in San Bernardino, California, Dave Stockton graduated from the University of Southern California in 1964 with a degree in General Management and Finance.  As a U.S.C. Trojan, Dave won the PAC 10 Individual title and earned 2-time NCAA All-American Honors (Honors his father also earned while at U.S.C.).  He married beauty queen Catherine Hales and they embarked on a continuing life of 47 years and counting on the PGA and Champions Tours.

Dave’s PGA Tour career reached a “Hall of Fame” level, winning 11-times, including two Majors; the 1970 and 1976 PGA Championships. Dave represented the U.S. in the 1970 and 1976 World Cup Matches.  Dave has been on four victorious Ryder Cup teams, representing the United States as a player in 1971 and 1977, as the Captain at Kiawah in 1991, and was an Assistant Captain to Paul Azinger at Valhalla in 2008.

Dave played on the Champions Tour from 1991 to present. He won 14 times, including three Majors - The Players Championship in 1992 & 1994 and the U.S. Senior Open in 1996.  He achieved Leading Money Winner and Player of the Year honors in 1993 and 1994.

In 1996, the Stockton family made competitive history when Dave and sons Dave Jr. and Ron became the first to play in all three PGA Tours on the same weekend—Dave on the Champions Tour, Dave Jr. on the PGA Tour and Ron on the Nationwide Tour.

In 2009, Dave joined his two sons working in professional golf instruction, Dave focusing primarily on putting and short game.  Together, they have worked with dozens of players on all of the major world tours, culminating in 29 wins in 2010.  In 2011, Stockton Golf clients have won three major championships in the span of a month - Rory McIlroy at the U.S. Open and Yani Tseng at the U.S. Women’s Open and Women’s British Open.

Notable clients past and present include: Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Nick Watney, J.B. Holmes, Massy Kuramoto, Matt Kuchar, Sean O'Hair, Morgan Pressel, Yani Tseng, Suzann Pettersen, Brittany Lang, Michelle Wie and many others.  In a recent collaborative effort with his sons, Dave reveals how he and his sons have helped so many Tour players to so many successes in his new book Unconscious Putting (September, 2011).

Dave has also been a headliner at thousands of corporate outings, clinics and charity functions over the last 40 years, including the Medal of Honor Golf Classic, the Stater Bros. Charities Dave Stockton Heroes Challenge, the Dave Stockton Coyote Golf Classic and the Bighorn Institute Golf Classic among many others.

He received the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Medal of Honor Society in 2007.  He arranged for the PGA to give a VIP Pass to any PGA Event for each Medal of Honor Recipient and their guest.   Dave was recognized for his outstanding achievements in golf when the SCGA inducted Dave into their 2010 Hall of Fame class.


Tuesday, December 6

scorsone  graham

ScorZone Performance - Caleb Scorsone & Spencer Graham - 10:15am-11:45am

ScorZone Performance and the Junior Golf Performance Academy (JGPA) were designed to coach our clients to become extraordinary players in the game of golf, a seemingly lost art in golf instruction & coaching today. Our TEAM assists and supports each student’s goals and aspirations for their unique golf capability. We emphasize measurable and meaningful progress in every aspect of golf, from strong mental performance skills and exclusive full swing efficiency, to short game talent and golf course management ability. We continuously focus on improving our players’ personal weaknesses and reinforcing each client’s strengths, both on and off the golf course. Our company was assembled to include the finest and most complete professional golf coaching team. This includes world class golf coaches, fitness and nutrition trainers, mental performance experts and short game specialists.

All of our coaches and staff members are the most excellent in their specialized areas of golf improvement and education. Our intent, when putting this industry leading team together, was to make 100% sure that each client received personal attention like they never have before with their golf game. It is very important to us as a team and company that the quality of our instruction, training and education never becomes diluted. Therefore, each client can be working with any member of our team and they will enjoy a seamless and smooth transition from one coach to the next. We focus on each unique player continuously and are driven to help our clients succeed in reaching their objectives.

ScorZone Performance and the JGPA has clients from all over the world and works with players of all ages and abilities. Our specialty is working with high level junior, collegiate, amateur and professionals clients. We currently have 15 International site locations, with our headquarters located in Florida-USA.

Caleb Scorsone

Caleb C. M. Scorsone, better known as “Dr. Score”, combines his personal competitive experiences, professional credentials and proven scientific research to serve as a Professional Tour Player mental skills coach that differentiates his work from the field. Over the past 16 years, he has served as a mental skills specialist for athletes seeking to improve their talents and overcome performance barriers, helped coaches looking to enhance their coaching/motivational expertise and assisted teams looking to quantify their potential. Through his SCOR-CORE Principles and COGMOTION Algorithm of Excellence (that involves attention to details within the role of deliberate practice), Caleb continually demonstrates his ability to take the difficult and make it simple for clients, players and coaches.

Dr. Score has earned his degree in Psychology and is working his way towards completing his Doctorate. He is a Mental Skills Specialist, Professional Tour Coach and Certified AimPoint Instructor. As a student, apprentice and colleague of Dr. Fran Pirozzolo, Mr. Scorsone has designed and developed personalized performance enhancement programs available for highly motivated, talented and resourceful Junior, Collegiate and Professional athletes. This is an extensive and concentrated performance training program designed around the individual player’s skills and needs. The adaptations used are based on the successful algorithm's from Dr. Score's mentor, Dr. Fran Pirozzolo, whose work with PGA/LPGA Tour players and top level collegiate golf clients is well documented. Learned and applied from Dr. Pirozzolo, Caleb uses unique methods of training that have a scientific and experiential foundation. This training program is organized, developed and used for over 25 years on the PGA Tour, combining mental skills training with swing technique expertise, including short game & putting skills.

Caleb is committed to the development and continued growth of each player or team. He believes that professional achievement comes from within the originality and uniqueness of each player. ScorZone Performance and the Junior Golf Performance Academy do not release or market a listing of any of their students or clients due to confidentiality purposes and our desire to keep our work private with each individual. However, their clientele list include elite Juniors, upper echelon Collegiate & Amateur players as well as Touring Professionals on the Australian, Nationwide, Futures, Hooters, eGolf, Canadian, European, PGA and LPGA Tours. Mr. Scorsone’s mission is to provide professional and proven performance training, for golfers who aspire to quantify their potential and execute at the highest stages in tournament golf. He has established a reputation for delivering a simple, yet effective training program, based upon the strengths, needs and skills of each player, to “Score in the Zone” when pressure is at its peak. Dr. Score has demonstrated a player’s approach that has helped jumpstart many players and teams, throughout his career.

Mr. Scorsone’s professional practice is based in Jupiter FL, where he is the founder of ScorZone Performance, Inc., a multifaceted performance center specializing in psychological and sport specific demands of athletes. He is the Co-Director and Mental Performance Specialist for the Junior Golf Performance Academy (JGPA). Caleb will also be providing in person consultations in Florida, technologically assisted distance-based sessions for traveling students at events and an overall curriculum development for students, clients and staff alike at ScorZone Performance and the JGPA.

Spencer Graham

Spencer has been teaching and coaching golf full-time for 19 years and involved in the game for 34 years of his life. Ever since he was a junior golfer growing up on Sea Island, Georgia, he dreamed of one day building and opening a golf academy specializing in the very best junior, collegiate, amateur and professional golfers in the world. What he has always envisioned was an Academy of Golf that would train players of all types to be able to compete against the very best in the game, both nationally and from all around the world. Mr. Graham visualized helping these students become great golfers, but equally or more important, amazing people and ambassadors for the growth of the game. Even as early as age 11, he wanted to help his friends learn how to play or get better in golf. He has attributed this passion & vision to his father, Arch Graham Jr., Mr. Davis Love Jr. and Claude Harmon Sr., Spencer’s lifelong golf coaching mentors and icons. His father’s passion and love for the game influenced him greatly, making Spencer eternally grateful for his dad’s support of him growing up around the game of golf. Mr. Graham also studied Mr. Love’s and Mr. Harmon’s work very intently (they had the greatest impact on him in golf instruction), as well as many other great coaches such as Butch Harmon, Bob Toski, Jim McLean, Jack Lumpkin, David Leadbetter, Gary Gilchrist, Larry Rinker, Harvey Penick, Mac O’Grady, Homer Kelley, William Hackett, Sr. and Jim Flick, just to name a few.

For the past 34 years of Spencer’s life, golf has been his passion and career. The life lessons that Mr. Graham has learned through the game are what he, as well as all of ScorZone Performance and the Junior Golf Performance Academy’s coaches, trainers and professionals want to pass on to each student. Whether it is professional golfers, competitive amateurs or juniors looking for collegiate golf scholarships, ScorZone Performance and the JGPA supports its players by “Developing Unique Talent Into Greatness”. With over 25,000 golf lessons taught, Spencer’s experience in coaching golf has reached the highest level worldwide.

Accolades:
• Nominated for Golf Digest’s 2007-2011 “Top Twenty Instructors under the age of 40”
• Recommended by his peers for Golf Magazine’s 2009-2011 “Top 50” Instructor List
• 2006 US Kids Golf “Top 50” Instructor for the USA, 2007-2010 “Honorable Mention”
• Currently coaching many of the top 100 ranked junior boys’ and girls’ in the world, the upper echelon of Division I collegiate players, high level amateurs and several professional golfers on various worldwide tours
• Founder of the Junior Golf Performance Academy, with 15 International site locations
Clients Success
• 2002-2011 US Kids Golf State & International Qualifiers (for the US Kids World Championship), Delaware (24); Pennsylvania (17); Maryland (11); New Jersey (10), Georgia (17), Tennessee (2), Florida (18), California (6), Texas (9), New Mexico (1) and International (37). 28 of 152 qualifiers won the US Kids World Championship.
• 2002-2011 American Junior Golf Association, (25) Top 5 finishes, 14 wins
• 2002-2011 Future Collegians World Tour, (49) Top 10 finishes, 21 victories
• 2002-2011 International Junior Golf Tour, (39) Top 10 finishes, 19 wins