Henry Brunton To Headline PGA OF BC Spring Seminar

Presented by Golf Trends, the lineup includes Canadian PGA Master Professional Henry Brunton, one Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers in America and head coach of the Royal Canadian Golf Association's National Men's Team.

Other PGA of BC Spring Education Seminar guests on hand will include Dave Phillips, co-founder of the Titleist Performance Institute and also a Top 100 Teacher in America; Carr Hagerman, Chris Obst and Darran Bird of British Columbia

Brunton, the keynote seminar speaker on day one will feature a presentation entitled: "Taking Your Game and Your Top Juniors to the Next Level". His presentation is intended to provide professionals with possibilities for improving their own games by disseminating information and sharing tools, strategies, and resources used by High Performance Coaches.

As well, Brunton will present research information on the development of expertise for aspiring competitive junior golfers, effective coaching and skill acquisition strategies, and the relative probability of making it to the PGA Tour.

One of the most recognizable names in Canadian golf and a GOLF Magazine US Kids Golf Top 50 Kids Teacher, Brunton is a resident of Stouffville, ON and a member of the Canadian PGA since 1984.

In 2008, the Canadian PGA honored him with its highest standing - Master Professional. He was also named the fourth Most Influential Person in Canadian Golf in rankings by Canada's National Post newspaper.

PGA of BC RELEASE

Brunton has a passion for developing elite junior and amateur golfers. He has been Canada's National Coach since the Royal Canadian Golf Association established its Player Development Program in 1999. Teams led by Brunton won the 2001 Four Nations Cup Championship and the 2003 Americas Cup and have competed for Canada around the globe. Brunton coached the Canadian National Men's Team to a Silver Medal finish at the 2006 World Amateur Championship in South Africa.

Brunton has authored the RCGA Achievement Guide, a comprehensive manual for high performance players and coaches. As well, in 1999, he was hired by the Canadian PGA to design and develop a national teacher and coach education program. The result was the highly acclaimed Teaching and Coaching Certification Program (TCCP). The TCCP is a mandatory training program for all CPGA Professionals.

In 2009, Brunton's first book, The New Competitive Golfer, will be published in the United States and Canada. This book will be the ultimate guide for competitive golfers serious about reaching their full potential in the game.

Brunton has received considerable professional training from many of the foremost golf educators in the world. A graduate of the University of Ottawa's Physical Education Program, he has studied and participated in select programs in Scotland, Spain, Sweden, the United States and Canada. He is also an accomplished speaker and consultant.

In 2008, Brunton was the keynote speaker at the PGA of America Teaching and Coaching Summit. In addition, he has presented at golf conferences throughout Canada as well as in Germany, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, and in the United States for various PGA Sections and at the prestigious "Better Golf Through Technology" Conference at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In 2005, Brunton was recognized as the first - and only - Canadian by GOLF Magazine as one of America's "Top 100 Teachers," the publication's biennial survey of teaching excellence. In2009, Brunton was recognized by US Kids Golf as a "Top 50 Kids Teacher" - the first and only Canadian to be so recognized to date.

In addition to his work with the Canadian Men's and Junior Boys National Teams, Brunton also leads "Strive for Excellence," a comprehensive year- round coaching and training program for aspiring high- level junior and collegiate golfers at his home base at Eagles Nest G.C. near Toronto.

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On the afternoon of Day 1 of the Spring Education Seminar, attendees will have a choice of two excellent presentations on the golf swing and theories of teaching.

Dave Phillips is a cofounder of the renowned Titleist Performance Institute, and another of the Top 100 Teachers in America named by GOLF magazine. He and Dr. Greg Rose have developed the ultimate golf performance facility that combines the most advanced three dimensional diagnostic tools with a comprehensive physical evaluation of the body. By combining Titleist's equipment fitting expertise with physical and three dimensional findings, they can help any level of golfer achieve their golf specific goals. Utilizing his understanding of the body and biomechanics,

Dave has developed a very understandable and workable teaching approach and continues to work with players of all levels including player of the year for 2008, Padraig Harrington.

Dave has been featured on the Golf Channel where he has done 52 episodes of The Golf Fitness Academy show and has been in multiple publications including, Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, Golf World, Sports Illustrated and many more. As a cofounder of the Titleist Performance Institute he has been instrumental in the development of the largest golf health and fitness website in the industry www.mytpi.com.

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Also on the afternoon of Day 1, there will be a provocative presentation sure to challenge the conventional wisdom of much of today's golf instruction.

Darran Bird, a British PGA member working in Germany, has worked with colleague Jody Morris to develop research that shows that the average height of golfers has increased substantially over time and that consequently the lengths of clubs used by today's players - both amateur and professional - are far shorter than they should be for optimum results.

Bird's topic - "Golf club fitting systems and their relationship to body posture, the golf swing and golf injuries" - will enlighten you with the results of years of research involving golfers using custom-fitted clubs. And there will be an opportunity for participants to try some of this revolutionary golf equipment on the University Golf Club practice range.

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On Day 2 (February 24), get ready for some personal advice that will help make you a better person as well as a better golf professional. Two presentations are featured.

Chris Obst has a passion for personal and professional growth. And he has an excellent presentation ready for attendees at this year's seminar.

Entitled Managing Energy vs. Time for High Performance, the presentation will deal with how ambitious goals, a challenging economy, increasing competitive pressure, and rising demands create the ideal fuel for diminished performance over time. This combination often creates a vicious cycle of stress for individuals in business with little or no recovery time.

Better time management will not resolve this issue - It requires effective energy management.

Extraordinary performers are: physically energized, mentally focused, emotionally connected, and spiritually aligned with what matters most to them. Skillfully managing energy in all four of these dimensions enables you to fully ignite your talent and skill on demand. It enables peak performers to achieve the sustainable results at work as well as at home.

In this entertaining and educational session you will learn:
· How well you currently manage your energy in four key areas
· How a professional athlete's mindset can benefit you as a leader
· Why stress is not the enemy in our lives - and what the real enemy is

· How peak performers use rituals vs. discipline to manage energy
· Three strategies to begin managing physical energy more effectively immediately

As the Principal of Core Dynamics Group, CEOs and executive managers have cast Chris in the roles of coach, consultant, sounding board and cattle prod since 1999. Chris draws on his training, experience, natural gifts, and his knack for honest communication to help top players increase their effectiveness and achieve results for their business.

Chris has had key career successes in sales and management, and prior to launching Core Dynamics Group, the distribution company he co-founded was one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Private Companies.

Chris holds a Diploma in Marketing and Sales Management from the University of British Columbia, and has broad training in sales, management and human behaviour. He is also certified to administer a variety of psychometric tests and competency-based assessment and development tools for teams and individuals.

Chris is a big believer in work/life balance. He teaches it and he lives it. Chris enjoys an active lifestyle with his wife and two school aged children, on the North Shore of Vancouver, BC. He is a very involved parent and coaches soccer and hockey in his community. He is also the Vice President of Athletics For Kids (A4K), a federally registered charity that makes organized sports more accessible to financially disadvantaged children. Chris enjoys good food (cooking has become a passion in the last few years), good wine, sports and staying in shape through swimming, hiking and tennis.

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And to wrap things up on Day 2, the tremendously entertaining story of how the FISH! philosophy became one of the most talked-about programs in the world of the workplace. FISH! is based on the 1998 film about how workers in Seattle's famous Pike Place Fish Market made their work enjoyable and their interactions with customers unforgettable.

Carr Hagerman has made presentations about the FISH! philosophy all over the world and is guaranteed to get you revved about your relationships with your co-workers and the people you do business with. What Carr talks about is that even in a workplace where fishmongers spent stinky, grueling 12-hour shifts stocking, selling and packing fish, remarkable results can occur when people accept the invitation to:
1) Be There for their coworkers and customers;
2) Play;
3) Make someone's day; and
4) Choose their attitude about how they show up for work.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT PGA of BC