IJGA Announces the Addition of Junior Golf Coaches Steve Di Nino, Cory Cottrell and Promotion of Daniel Jackson to Assistant Director of Golf
International Junior Golf Academy (IJGA), the oldest independent junior golf academy in the nation, announces the addition of two new members to its coaching staff, Steve Di Nino of Bluffton, South Carolina and Cory Cottrell of Mesa, Arizona. Under the direction of British PGA Master Professional Jonathan Yarwood, Director of Golf at IJGA, Di Nino and Cottrell join the team of six coaches, bringing more than 16 years of experience in the golf industry to IJGA. Additional, IJGA senior coach Daniel Jackson has been named Assistant Director of Golf.
Daniel Jackson, a current member of the IJGA coaching team has been named to Assistant Director of Golf. Yarwood commented, “Dan Jackson was a senior coach at IMG until he joined IJGA last year. With that experience comes a well-rounded, level-headed approach to the business as well as the coaching. This makes him a natural choice to be assistant director to help mold, steer and implement the program.”
Jackson turned professional when he was 20 after an impressive amateur career. He taught county junior golf within the Nottinghamshire County in England, worked with Master Professionals and National Team coaches in the early stages of his coaching career, worked for David Leadbetter at Leadbetter’s Academy and most recently for IMG Academy. Jackson has worked with multiple international teams, various tour players and elite collegiate players. He is fully versed in the latest technology such as TrackMan, K-vest, Bodi-Trak, SAM PuttLab and Swing Catalyst. He is a member of the English PGA and is currently completing his MSc in Sports Coaching at The University of Birmingham (UK) which is a Top 75 University in the World.
Di Nino will be responsible for golf instruction, player assessment and development, and implementing a strategy to improve IJGA student-athletes’ performance.
“Steve Di Nino comes to us with a strong technical background having worked as assistant to Andrew Rice at Savannah Harbor. He is a passionate coach and will add greatly on many levels to our program,” said Yarwood.
Di Nino, a Certified Professional of the PGA of America, specializes in teaching/coaching and player development. He is a graduate of the Golf Academy of America and has an Associate Degree in Golf Complex Operations and Management.
Most recently, Di Nino coached with Andrew Rice and Revolution Golf at The Club at Savannah Harbor. Prior to that, he worked as a teaching pro for Todd Sones Impact Golf of Vernon Hills, IL. and Patriots Point Golf Links in Charleston, SC.
Cory Cottrell recently graduated from Georgia Southern University with a Masters’ degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Sport and Exercise Psychology. Prior to Georgia Southern, Cottrell played collegiate golf at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort from 2012 – 2016 where he studied psychology. Cory started at IJGA in the summer of 2018 as a Mental Performance intern before starting as a full-time coach fall of 2018.
“Cory has a strong background in the mental side of the game having just graduated college in the subject. He has all around interest in coaching and is taking a holistic and multifaceted role within our program to add value in many areas. One of his current projects is choreographing and ensuring the precision of the pre-shot routines and post-shot reactions of every player to create consistency and uniformity amongst other value adding roles he’s taken on,” said Yarwood.
IJGA offers a team of trained and experienced coaches committed to an elite junior golf training program. Bringing with them years of industry experience and world-class backgrounds, IJGA coaches will develop and implement a coaching strategy to elevate student-athletes’ game.
About IJGA: The International Junior Golf Academy (IJGA) was founded in 1995 on Hilton Head Island, SC as a home for elite juniors from around the world looking to earn college golf scholarships in the United States. Since 1995, IJGA has achieved nearly 100% college placement and graduates have earned over $52 million in college golf scholarships. IJGA continues to develop the character and skill of junior golfers, while helping them achieve their goals.
Contact:
Beth Patton
International Junior Golf Academy
bethp@ijsa.com
843.686.1500
