A local golf instructor has been named one of the nation’s best in his field by Golf Magazine.
Jonathan Yarwood, director of golf at the Bluffton-based International Junior Golf Academy, has been named to Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Teachers in American. Yarwood is one of 16 new members on the elite list this year.
Since its inception in 1991, Golf Magazine’s Top Teachers in America ranking has become the industry standard for teaching excellence. Four different committees judge candidates on 15 baseline criteria.
Yarwood, a British PGA Master Professional, has trained a U.S. Open winner, two U.S. Amateur winners, two U.S. Girls’ winners, three AJGA Players of the Year, four top-ranked juniors, a collegiate No. 1, and winners on the PGA, LPGA, European, Challenge, Asian and Australasian tours. He has been recognized for his contribution to the game by being the youngest person to be made a British PGA Master Professional in 2011. He was also voted a “Top 20 Teacher Under 40” by Golf Digest, and “Best Teachers in State Rankings” for over a decade. He has trained student-athletes of 11 years of age until they ultimately reached the tour.
”I have never really coveted titles nor acknowledgement in my career, preferring to get my head down in the trenches and make a contribution that satisfied my curiosity,” said Yarwood. “Having said that, it is always a nice feeling to know that your work has been noted and appreciated by a peer group whom I highly respect. I’m both humbled and honored to receive this award and will continue to strive to improve and make a difference in the lives of others through the coaching skills I’ve developed.”
Yarwood is one of the most accomplished coaches in junior golf, having spent a decade coaching elite players at IMG Academy, followed by a run on the professional tours in which he worked with players including 2007 U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell, before spending the past five years with the IJGA and affiliated Bishops Gate Golf Academy.
“Since taking on the challenge of restoring the IJGA brand as the leading junior golf academy, Jonathan has done an immense job in building a disciplined golf program, with a mixture of artistry and use of the most modern technical aids, and it is inspiring to see the pride with which his students perform in practice and in tournaments,” IJGA and BGGA CEO Andrew Summers said. “Jonathan is quite rightly recognized as a Top 100 Instructor and we are fortunate at IJGA to have him lead our golf program.”