OVERCOMING ‘SCARY’ SHOTS PART OF ACCLAIMED COACH MIKE BENDER’S HALLOWEEN APPEARANCE on Golf Channel’s ‘Morning Drive’
Accomplished golf instructor Mike Bender, No. 6 on Golf Digest magazine’s list of “The 50 Best Teachers in America”, is scheduled to appear as a guest instructor on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive on Halloween, Wednesday, Oct. 31, to help viewers overcome fright of scary shots.
The popular daily morning show airs from 7-9 a.m. Eastern.
Bender, owner/operator of the Mike Bender Golf Academy in Lake Mary, Fla., is one of the inaugural coaches in Golf Channel Academy (GCA), a dedicated network of teaching facilities. Select Golf Channel Academy coaches are being invited to appear on the network’s news and instruction shows, including The Golf Fix and PGA TOUR Champions Learning Center; Bender has made multiple appearances on Morning Drive.
“It’s always an honor and a thrill to be on Morning Drive,” said Bender, the 2009 PGA National Teacher of the Year. “It’s the first time I’ve ever appeared on Halloween, though, so I look forward to helping the viewers at home overcome any fears or scary shots they might encounter on the course.”
A four-time North Florida PGA Section Teacher of the Year (1996, 1998, 2005, 2007), Bender has been a mainstay on Golf Magazine’s list of the Top 100 Teachers in America since its inception in 1996. He has also been recognized as the North Florida PGA Section East Central Chapter Teacher of the Year seven times (1994, 1996,1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007).
An accomplished player himself, Bender was a three-time NCAA All-American (1978-1980) and two-time NCAA Division III individual champion (1979-1980) at California State University Stanislaus before spending three seasons on the PGA Tour from 1987-89. This high level of competition inspired Mike to search out top teachers to help him with his own game, including Ben Doyle, Mike Adams, David Leadbetter and Mac O’Grady.
Perhaps best known as Zach Johnson’s long-time swing coach—having been by Johnson’s side for all 12 of his PGA Tour wins, including two major championships—Bender has helped nearly two dozen PGA, Champions and LPGA Tour professionals with their games. Other notable students of his include LPGA Tour winners Seon Hwa Lee and Joo Mi Kim, PGA Tour winner Jonathan Byrd, two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen and Golf Channel contributor Robert Damron.
Mike is also the author of three books: Build the Swing of a Lifetime: The Four-Step Approach to a More Efficient Swing; Golf’s 8 Second Secret: What Separates Golf’s Greatest Champions, and the Competitive Player Play Book. He’s also written dozens of articles for such golf publications as Golf Magazine, Golf Digest and PGA Magazine.
For more information about the Mike Bender Golf Academy, visit www.mikebender.com.
For more about Golf Channel Academy, including a full listing of all its current locations and coaches, go to www.golfchannelacademy.com.
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