CONTACT: Al Martinez-Fonts 813.907.4723 amfjr@saddlebrook.com
SADDLEBROOK SIGNS STEVE BANN AND DALE LYNCH AND ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF THE SADDLEBROOK GOLF ACADEMY
Internationally Renowned Team to Lead Instruction at Saddlebrook Golf Academy
WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. – Saddlebrook Resort announces that it has reached an agreement with internationally renowned golf coaches, Steve Bann and Dale Lynch, known as the number one golf coaching team in the world, to lead instruction at the Saddlebrook Golf Academy.
Two of the most celebrated instructors on the PGA TOUR, Bann and Lynch lead the Golf Academy’s comprehensive player development programs effective January 1, 2011. They train students enrolled in Saddlebrook Preparatory School’s junior golf program, resort guests, experienced players, and TOUR professionals.
Since 1990, the BannLynch golf team has been dedicated to player development, especially junior golfers. Selected by the Australian government to develop the golf training program for the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) in Melbourne, which is centered on “Olympic-style” principles, the much respected Bann-Lynch team has been responsible for producing more champions than any other program internationally over the past twenty years.
In fact, three of the program’s once junior players and present-day PGA TOUR players coached by Bann and Lynch are: 2006 U.S. Open Champion, Geoff Ogilvy; two-time Australian Open Champion, Aaron Baddeley; and nine-time PGA TOUR winner, Stuart Appleby.
“I am excited about the opportunity to have Steve Bann and Dale Lynch lead Saddlebrook Golf Academy instruction,” Saddlebrook Resort Chairman and CEO Tom Dempsey said. “With their passion to instruct and coach golfers of all skill levels, and their track record of success, the addition of Steve and Dale will further complement our ability to attract the world’s best athletes to Saddlebrook.”
With a renewed dedication to providing world-class golf experience, similar to the resort’s illustrious Saddlebrook Hopman Tennis Program, Saddlebrook Golf Academy’s practice facility is currently under expansion, and is due to be completed by early Fall 2011. Upon completion, the addition to the Academy will include 20 acres dedicated to golf instruction, multiple teeing areas and target greens, a dedicated short game practice area, two indoor golf studios with the most advanced offerings of swing analysis technology, an indoor putting lab, and a custom fitting and repair center.
We are thrilled about getting back to our roots and coaching junior golfers,” five-time Victorian PGA Golf Coach of the Year Dale Lynch said. “We will continue to provide instruction to golfers of all skill levels, but working closely in training juniors is something Steve and I have missed.”
About Saddlebrook Resort Saddlebrook Resort is nestled among 480 acres of beautiful Florida countryside and is approximately 30 miles north of Tampa International Airport. It offers a wide array of amenities and facilities to its guests, including The Golf Academy; two Arnold Palmer signature golf courses; the Saddlebrook Hopman Tennis Program; 45 tennis courts, featuring all four Grand Slam surfaces; a state-of the art Fitness Center; a half-million gallon Superpool; The Spa; the Sports Village; a team-building ropes course; 95,000 square feet of meeting and conference space; and seven award-winning restaurants.
About Steve Bann and Dale Lynch In 1990, former Australian PGA players Steve Bann and Dale Lynch, known as the number one golf coaching team in the world, were selected by the Australian government to develop junior golf in the state of Victoria. They formed the golf division of the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) in Melbourne, thus creating the first non-Olympic sport to become a part of the nation’s Olympic program. Within two years, the program became recognized worldwide, due to Bann and Lynch’s integration of the “Olympic-style” training approach with its focus on building golf champions. As the VIS program grew and became successful in Australia, its junior players began competing against top talents around the world. Shortly thereafter, Bann and Lynch stepped down from full-time coaching at VIS to focus on coaching their former juniors, who had turned professional. Some of the most recognizable players in the program include: 2006 U.S. Open Champion, Geoff Ogilvy; nine-time PGA TOUR winner, Stuart Appleby; and two-time Australian Open Champion, Aaron Baddeley. Although they still remain consultants to VIS, most recently, Bann and Lynch oversaw instruction at the International Institute of Golf at The Cliffs at Keowee Springs in Six Mile, South Carolina. As well as their long-time students, Appleby, Baddeley and Ogilvy, Bann and Lynch currently coach Arjun Atwal, K.J. Choi, Matthew Goggin, and many other professional and non-professional golfers.
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