Sean Foley (golf instructor)
Encyclopedia
Sean Foley is a Canadian golf instructor, who has coached Sean O'Hair
, Hunter Mahan
, Stephen Ames
and Parker McLachlin
, and other PGA Tour
professionals. He has coached Justin Rose
since the end of 2009. Foley also coaches Canadian PGA Tour player Chris Baryla
, and LPGA Tour player Julieta Granada
. Foley began a partnership with Tiger Woods
during the summer of 2010.
Foley has been the head coach for the Canadian Junior Golf Association
since 2003, and teaches at Core Golf Junior Academy at Orange County National, Winter Garden, Florida
.
Foley graduated with an Arts degree from Tennessee State University
, where he played on the varsity golf team. Foley did not aim for a professional golf playing career, but had set a goal in his mid-teens of becoming an instructor to top players, after watching David Leadbetter
work with Nick Faldo
on the range at the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Course
in the early 1990s.
Foley left the Clublink
Academy at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ontario
, and moved to Orlando, Florida
in August 2006.
Foley and O'Hair split in May 2011, with Foley citing O'Hair's need for a fresh start and a desire to change the direction of his instruction.
On August 10, 2010, Foley helped Tiger Woods with his swing during a practice round at the PGA Championship
, and confirmed the possibility of working with Woods. Currently, Foley works with Woods twice a week in the off-season.
, said of Foley's instruction style:
Foley recommends setting up with about 55 % of the body weight on the left side (for righthanded golfers) and keeping it left during the whole swing until contact with the ball, when close to 80 % of the weight should be on the left foot. This is the same setup and weight shift instructors Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer
prescribe. Foley acknowledges the resemblance and says it is because they all studied the swings of old players that kept centered over the ball during the whole swing. Foley stated that he has "a lot of admiration and respect" for his friend Andy Plummer.
Sean O'Hair
Sean M. O'Hair is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.-Early life:O'Hair was born in Lubbock, Texas...
, Hunter Mahan
Hunter Mahan
Hunter Myles Mahan is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.-Amateur career:Mahan was born in Orange, California. He had a successful amateur career, winning the 1999 5A Texas State High School Golf Championship while attending McKinney High School and the 1999 U.S. Junior...
, Stephen Ames
Stephen Ames
Stephen Michael Ames is a professional golfer on the PGA Tour holding dual citizenship of Trinidad and Tobago and Canada....
and Parker McLachlin
Parker McLachlin
Parker Nicholas McLachlin is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.McLachlin was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He graduated from Punahou School in 1997 and UCLA in 2002 with a degree in sociology....
, and other PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
professionals. He has coached Justin Rose
Justin Rose
Justin Peter Rose is a South African-born English professional golfer who plays most of his golf on the PGA Tour while keeping his membership on the European Tour...
since the end of 2009. Foley also coaches Canadian PGA Tour player Chris Baryla
Chris Baryla
Christopher Baryla is a Canadian professional golfer who has played on the Nationwide Tour and the PGA Tour.Baryla was born in Calgary. He graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso, and turned pro in 2004....
, and LPGA Tour player Julieta Granada
Julieta Granada
Julieta Granada is a Paraguayan professional golfer who plays on the United States based LPGA Tour and on the Ladies European Tour.-Amateur career:...
. Foley began a partnership with Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
during the summer of 2010.
Foley has been the head coach for the Canadian Junior Golf Association
Canadian Junior Golf Association
The Canadian Junior Golf Association is a national junior golf association. The CJGA is a not-for-profit "registered Canadian amateur athletic association" with Revenue Canada....
since 2003, and teaches at Core Golf Junior Academy at Orange County National, Winter Garden, Florida
Winter Garden, Florida
Winter Garden is a city located west of downtown Orlando in western Orange County, Florida. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winter Garden's population is currently over 30,000.-Geography:...
.
Foley graduated with an Arts degree from Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...
, where he played on the varsity golf team. Foley did not aim for a professional golf playing career, but had set a goal in his mid-teens of becoming an instructor to top players, after watching David Leadbetter
David Leadbetter (golf instructor)
David Leadbetter is a leading golf instructor, originally from Worthing in England. He began his career on the European and Southern African tours, but had little success as a player...
work with Nick Faldo
Nick Faldo
Sir Nicholas Alexander "Nick" Faldo, MBE is an English professional golfer on the European Tour who now mainly works as an on air golf analyst. Over his career, he has won six majors: three Open Championships and three Masters. He was ranked the World No...
on the range at the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Course
Glen Abbey Golf Course
Glen Abbey Golf Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1976, is one of Canada's most famous golf courses and is home to the Royal Canadian Golf Association and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. It has hosted 25 Canadian Open Championships, more than any other course, with the first having...
in the early 1990s.
Foley left the Clublink
Clublink
ClubLink Enterprises Limited is Canada's largest owner and operator of golf courses. It is based in Aurora, Ontario, and trades on the TSX under the symbol "CLK". It was founded in 1993 by entrepreneur Bruce Simmonds...
Academy at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ontario
Oakville, Ontario
Oakville is a town in Halton Region, on Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. As of the 2006 census the population was 165,613.-History:In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road...
, and moved to Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
in August 2006.
Foley and O'Hair split in May 2011, with Foley citing O'Hair's need for a fresh start and a desire to change the direction of his instruction.
Coaching Tiger Woods
In May 2010, Foley denied widely spread rumours that he was about to be hired as coach by Tiger WoodsTiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
On August 10, 2010, Foley helped Tiger Woods with his swing during a practice round at the PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
, and confirmed the possibility of working with Woods. Currently, Foley works with Woods twice a week in the off-season.
Instruction style
Foley is known for his scientific approach to the golf swing. One of his trainees, Justin RoseJustin Rose
Justin Peter Rose is a South African-born English professional golfer who plays most of his golf on the PGA Tour while keeping his membership on the European Tour...
, said of Foley's instruction style:
Sean does not look at me as a golfer. He looks at me as an athlete and from a biomechanical point of view. He is not necessarily wrapped up in what makes a swing pretty. He wants what works for me from a scientific point of view. This is not necessarily the position that everyone strives for, but that is what I like about Sean.
Foley recommends setting up with about 55 % of the body weight on the left side (for righthanded golfers) and keeping it left during the whole swing until contact with the ball, when close to 80 % of the weight should be on the left foot. This is the same setup and weight shift instructors Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer
Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer
Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer are a duo of golf instructors who have coached PGA Tour players Charlie Wi, Steve Elkington, Tom Scherrer, Grant Waite, Troy Matteson, Bill Lunde, Mike Weir and Aaron Baddeley, among others...
prescribe. Foley acknowledges the resemblance and says it is because they all studied the swings of old players that kept centered over the ball during the whole swing. Foley stated that he has "a lot of admiration and respect" for his friend Andy Plummer.
External links
- The Next Generation with Sean Foley, golf instruction DVD.