YPSILANTI — San Francisco doesn’t have the only All- Star game this summer. The equally stellar Kendall Academy at Miles of Golf in Ypsilanti has placed five of its staff members on Golf Digest’s list of the best teachers in Michigan and the voters were all fellow teaching professionals. (The list appears in Golf Digest’s August issue, on newsstands beginning July 10, and accessed by visiting www.golfdigest.com)
Not only that, the All-Star game in Francisco next week is a one shot affair. The Kendall Academy "All-Stars" are on the tee all season and led by Dave Kendall, recent winner the Michigan Senior Open and twice voted "Teacher of the Year" by Michigan PGA members. "We’re very pleased and proud of this Golf Digest recognition," says Kendall, "especially knowing the voting was conducted by our peers in Michigan."
Joining Kendall (ranked 4th) in the All-Star lineup are Jeff Goble (#3), Tom Tontapanish (#5), Scott Hayes (#12) and Paul Haase (#13). Golf Digest’s voters picked just 17 Michigan instructors and the Kendall Academy’s quintet leads the state from one facility. Kendall, Tontapanish, Haase and Goble had been ranked among the best in the state previously and Goble was on the Rick Smith Golf Academy when it was named among the top 25 schools in the country. (Note: In the Golf Digest ranking, Goble is listed as being affiliated with Rick Smith/Treetops although he now teaches full-time at Kendall Academy.)
Goble joined the Kendall staff this past winter after nine years working for Rick Smith’s schools at Treetops Resort and Naples, Fla. He has 19 years teaching experience and was director of the junior golf camps and was a lead instructor in the ladies golf schools while at Treetops. He is a 10-year PGA member.
Tontapanish, a 1992 University of Michigan graduate, joined Kendall in 1997 and studied instruction at the David Leadbetter and Hank Haney teaching complexes.
Hayes, a high school All-Stater and captain of the U of M golf team, started with Miles of Golf as a clubfitter and now is on the Kendall Academy staff with great technical knowledge of both the equipment and the swing. His strong game has led to high finishes in recent Michigan Opens
Haase, a PGA member since 1975, joined Kendall in 1998 and he has shown his range, working with many top young female students, with recent Michigan Golf Hall of Fame inductee John Lindholm as well as Bill Zylstra, the Golf Association of Michigan’s Senior Player of the Year last year.
Kendall Academy is part of the Miles of Golf complex, which includes a complete golf shop, state-of-the-art clubfitting, practice range and instructional facility, and is located at 3113 Carpenter Road in Ypsilanti, on the border with Ann Arbor. Miles of Golf can be reached at (734) 973-9004 or toll-free (877) 973-9005. A comprehensive web site is at www.milesofgolf.com.
Contact:
Terry Moore, All About Golf (616) 247-1931 email: terry_moore@comcast.net
Tom Cleary, All About Golf (616) 915-4267 email: tjcleary@aol.com
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