By Kevin Mitchell - Vernon Morning Star
Published: October 23, 2010 12:00 PM
Updated: October 23, 2010 12:04 PM
Conner Kozak is a high school and junior golfer hoping to land an American scholarship. Annette McIntyre is a 57-year-old whose high handicap dropped seven points in one year and enabled her to shoot a career 78. Darren Wallace is a University of Washington player trying to join former teammate Nick Taylor on the PGA Tour.Published: October 23, 2010 12:00 PM
Updated: October 23, 2010 12:04 PM
All three credit Sean Richardson of Predator Ridge Golf Resort with taking their swings and putts to amazing levels, and they showed their admiration by writing letters in support of a successful nomination for Richardson as the ‘2010 Teacher of the Year’ by the Professional Golfers Association of BC.
The PGA of BC serves and represents more than 700 golf pros who work at and operate golf courses, driving ranges and other golf facilities throughout the province.
Nominated by his PGA of BC peers, Richardson, 42, was praised for his efforts as a leader in the field of instruction and for his continued efforts in improving the game of golf for his students.
Kozak’s father, Doug, praised Richardson for making his son’s “blurred dreams of his future become very clearly visible and within his grasp.”
Added Doug: “I am so proud of the person and athlete Conner has become under Sean’s guidance. Conner now has the confidence to be composed in any situation thrown at him on the golf course.”
McIntyre, who two years ago underwent a stem cell transplant, reduced her 20 handicap down to a 13 under Richardson’s guidance.
“Sean has helped my game from both a phsyical aspect but also from a pyschological stand point. He has helped me package the game as a whole from the tee box until the ball has dropped into the hole.”
Wallace, with Richardson as his coach and caddy, became the youngest player to ever win the Canadian Amateur (2004) when he was 15 at Beaconsfield Golf Club in Quebec. Richardson coached Wallace for eight years.
“Sean has helped me reach heights with my golf game that I only dreamed of achieving,” wrote Wallace. “He’s not only been a world-class coach, who I respect and admire, but he’s also been a great mentor helping me with all aspects of my game and life.”
Richardson was born in Winnipeg and raised in 100 Mile House, where he began shagging balls and cleaning clubs for french fry money at age nine. He turned pro at 19, and after playing two years for the UBC Thunderbirds, began teaching the game full-time.
The 5-foot-10, 200-pounder is director of instruction at Predator, where over the last four years, he has developed programs for all levels of golfers. He thinks short-term for adults and long-term for hot juniors like Vernon’s Justin Wurz and Bryce Dahlen.
“With a younger player, you almost have to tell them to practise less and play more because you’re worried they will over train, while with an older player, you want them to practise more and play less,” said Richardson, a father of two who lives in Kelowna.
“It’s all about how and what to practise, teaching them things that are going to help on the course.”
Richardson has taught at a handful of courses in the Vancouver area, spending 2001-06 as the BCGA provincial coach while employed as a teaching pro at Eaglequest in Coquitlam and Coyote Creek in Surrey.
He taught Taylor, an Abbotsford product whose 65 in last year’s U.S. Open was a record for an amateur, and sees some similarities in Kozak’s moxy.
“We really worked, at the beginning, on his golf swing, to tighten it up and get the ball flight straighter,” said Richardson. “Conner had the same kind of potential as Nick and Darren had at that age. We worked on getting Conner to stay relaxed and perform at the level I thought he could and his progress has been very good.”
Wrote Doug Goubault, director of golf at Predator: “Sean has tremendous touch when when it comes to the basics of the swing. His programs have developed in recent years to include less intensive elements and his short game and quick swing clinics have become very popular with our residents and members.”
Over the years, Richardson has generously donated instruction services to local charity golf tournaments and fundraising events in the North Okanagan.
In September, Predator Ridge’s new Ridge Course, designed by award-winning Canadian golf architect, Doug Carrick was named “Best New Course in Canada” for 2010 by SCOREGolf Magazine.
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