Howey-in-the Hills, Fla.; November 23, 2016 – Ariya Jutanugarn’s first year of training with coach Gary Gilchrist was both exciting and record-breaking year, as she earned the Rolex Player of the Year Award and wrapped up the season-long Race to the CME Globe last weekend by finishing fourth in the 2016 tour finale.
“The difference between instruction and coaching is taking an athlete to the next level,” said Gilchrist, head of the Gary Gilchrist Academy at Mission Inn Resort & Club. “Watching an athlete like Ariya turn her game around and play to her full potential – to reach a pinnacle and to play with this kind of high performance – it really gives me such satisfaction and fulfillment and a real love for coaching the game of golf.”
Jutanugarn, who turns 21 this week, also made history as the first golfer, male or female, from Thailand to win a major championship. She was without a doubt the best player on the LPGA Tour this year, which is the direct opposite of how she felt about her game at the end of last year.
“Ariya had a strong belief in herself, but she was really doubting her game,” Gilchrist recalls of their initial sessions last February at Mission Inn. Gilchrist immediately began to restore Jutanugarn’s confidence – something that waned during her rookie season on the LPGA Tour, as she wound up 64th on the money list.
“It’s important when a player comes to me and their confidence is that low, to start straight away by building confidence, which is done through honest sharing of where they are at in their game,” Gilchrist says. “At the time, Ariya felt she wasn’t doing anything very well. In actuality, her game was very good.”
Gilchrist identified the areas in Jutanugarn’s her game that were holding her back. Together they focused on ball-striking and having her recognize the improvements she made in her play.
And only one year later, Jutanugarn is now recognized as one of the best.
Mission accomplished.
About Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy
In a coaching career that spans more than 20 years, Gary Gilchrist has been responsible for recruiting, training and developing more professional, amateur and junior golfers than any other coach in the world. His system of training applies to golfers of all ages and abilities.
At the training facilities at Mission Inn Resort, he and his team incorporate a holistic training environment for juniors, amateurs and professionals through technical, mental, fitness and on-course strategy training.
Gilchrist has been recognized by Golf Digest as a Top 50 Teacher in America 2011-2016 and by Golf Magazine as a Top 100 Teacher 2012-2013.
For more information, please contact (352) 484-0787 or marketing@ggga.com
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