PGA of CANADA PROFESSIONALS
We have the largest and most experienced staff of PGA instructors in Canada. Our 12 instructors have 235 years of experience as PGA members and provided over 5000 golf lessons at our facility last year. If you would like to us to connect you with an instructor, please send us some information about you and your game.
SEAN CASEY
Sean is the owner of Burloak Indoor Golf. He spent twenty seasons at The Glen Abbey Golf Academy, fourteen as the Director of Instruction. Sean is from New Brunswick, now lives in Oakville with his wife and their two kids.
Sean provides his instruction at Burloak in the winter and at RattleSnake Point during the golf season.
Most of Sean's students are competitive golfers however he does allocate a portion of his schedule to coaching adults and recreational golfers.
- BBA University of New Brunswick 2000
- Joined PGA of Canada in 1996
- Ontario Team Championship Winner 2003 with Sean Foley
- PGA of Ontario Teacher of the Year 2009
- PGA of Canada Teacher of the Year 2009
- Golf Digest Top Teachers in Canada Nov, 2011
- PGA of Ontario Teacher of the Year for Junior Golfers 2016
- PGA of Ontario Coach of the Year 2020
Rich Storey
As a Class 'A' PGA of Canada Director of Instruction, Rich brings 20 years of coaching experience to Burloak Indoor Golf.
He is the Director of Instruction at RattleSnake Point and Lead Instructor for their 'PGA experience' corporate golf schools and created the 'Junior Elite' program in 2001, targeting the junior golfer who wants to compete at the highest level.
Rich has coached and placed more than 50 junior golfers into US college programs and developed the 'Post-Grad' program targeting recent high school graduates who wish to use a gap year to build a golf resume and learn the skills required to compete at the college level.
Ben Ferguson
A former PGA Tour player originally from Australia but now a Canadian citizen, Ben played Professional Tour Golf for 17 years.
Ben reached the pinnacle of golf in 2001 playing on the PGA Tour.
He has also played other world class to tours including Web.com in 1999 and 2002, the Australasian tour in 1998 and is a long-time member of the PGA Tour of Canada.
There is much to learn from Ben’s wealth of knowledge and experience. Ben advocates solid fundamentals in the swing to all his students because that sets up the framework for a swing that is powerful and efficient.
Dan Read
Dan joined the Glen Abbey Golf Academy and began his apprenticeship with the PGA of Canada in 2001. A graduate of McMaster University, Dan has business experience that lends itself well to the corporate golf world.
In addition to clinics and group lessons, Dan conducts individual and small-group instruction. His relaxed approach helps students to enjoy golf while learning valuable skills. Dan utilizes TrackMan with his students, the worlds most accurate ball flight and swing analysis tool.
JOHN COCHRANE
john@johnescochranegolfschools.com
A highly motivated and positive teacher, John holds extensive training in both the CPGA and PGA of America Advanced Teaching Programs.
John’s unique teaching style, blended with a balanced training program consisting of the full swing, short game and with special emphasis on physical and psychological training, has allowed beginning, intermediate and advanced players to achieve their goals in the game of golf and in most cases surpass those goals to reach a higher level of golf expertise and a more consistent level of play.
Mandeo Pathania
Introduced to Glen Abbey during the Canadian Open in 2015, a regular on various professional golf tours since 2005, Mandeo holds two course records of 61 and 63 on the Professional Tour of India.
He has been playing events on the Asian Tour since 2006 and won his first event on the domestic tour in 2010 in Mumbai. Since moving to Toronto in 2015 he has also won on the PGA of Ontario while continuing to coach.
Mandeo has been teaching since 2006 at Jaypee Greens, a Greg Norman designed golf course in Delhi, India. He has trained under former world number one Bob Toski and Jim McLean. Being a fitness addict and with all the experience of various golf tours, Mandeo's style of teaching presents a well-rounded approach that consists of natural technique, golf fitness and positivity.
Nate Robinson
As a PGA of Canada certified instructor, I have benefited from learning to coach through the best education system in the world.
Over the past 15 years I have also had the benefit of working with some of the best instructors in the game. My teaching style is to listen to the student, and pay close attention to the root causes of any issues in the swing. I keep things very simple in my approach. For each student, learning a new skill takes practice and patience. I believe this applies to every golfer.
Sam Roy
Sam is the Co-Head Coach for Sean Casey's U15 and 'Learn to Compete' programs. He believes in a holistic approach to the game and understands the many influences on performance. Sam worked closely with Sean for many years, as a member of his U19 Competitive Coaching Program. Following his junior career he played for the University of Ottawa Men’s Golf team.
Through Sam’s playing experience he understands the mental and physical challenges of the game and the processes necessary to improve.
Prior to turning professional and joining the PGA of Canada, Sam won his Club Championship in back to back years.
In the summer months, Sam runs the junior programs and his private coaching services out of Hidden Lake Golf Club in Burlington.
JOHN Burghardt
John co-runs Sean Casey's Learn to Compete program, as well as the Linksters program. Having been a member of both the U15 and U19 programs at Glen Abbey, he recognizes the importance of instruction and structured practice. He attributes much of his own success in golf to the years in these programs and the skills he developed from them. John also provides private instruction to golfers of all ages and skill levels.
As a former NCAA division 1 golfer he has had the opportunity to play with and learn from some of the best players in the world. He draws on his playing experience in order to help others improve and excel.
Emma de Groot
A native of Australia, Emma now resides in Canada where she settled after playing professionally on multiple tours for 6 years.
Emma is a Class A Professional with the PGA of Canada, and won the 2022 PGA of Canada Female Player of the Year. She also captained Team Canada at the 2019 and 2022 PGA Cup.
Emma is TPI Level 1 and Golf 2 Certified, and she uses this knowledge to help her students build a functional swing that works for them and their bodies ability to move safely and efficiently.
Emma’s lessons are centred around clear understanding, open communication, and a fun and positive learning environment.
James chan
James is a golf professional situated out of Ancaster, Ontario. His passion for the game has led him to serve the golf community in various ways including as a club fitter and a teacher of the game.
His search for consistency and power has led him to a deeper understanding of the swing and what the body needs to do to be more natural. He’s available for consultation on your equipment and/or your golf game.
Jacob norton
The latest member of the team, Jacob is a Class A Member of The PGA of Canada. With a degree in Business Administration and Golf Management from Georgian College, Jacob provides instruction at Bigwin Island Golf Club during the golf season.
Jacobs works with all skill levels of golfers. With his teaching experience, he understands the golf swing and uses different techniques including Video Analysis to help golfers understand their swing better.
The BIG Lounge is now open
We are excited to welcome members and guests to our new licensed sports bar! Play golf in one of our 2 new Trackman Bays, host a private event or drop in to watch the game!