Mitchell Spearman Joins Golf Channel Academy

Mitchell Spearman

The newly formed Golf Channel Academy has named another local facility and leading teacher to its lineup. Mitchell Spearman, founder and owner of the Mitchell Spearman Golf Academy with locations in New York, Virginia and Maryland, has been named one of the inaugural instructors.

“I’m very excited to be among the first teachers associated with the new, dynamic Golf Channel Academy,” said Spearman, member of GOLF magazine’s “Top 100 Teachers in America” list since its inception. “This is a chance for golf instructors to work together, learning from one another and adopting best practices in both teaching and the business of teaching. I think it’s going to propel the coaches and coaching forward in a big way.”

Golf Channel Academy is the first network of its kind devoted to efficiently growing the business of golf instruction. With 44 charter locations already committed, Golf Channel Academy will be inviting additional coaches to become part of the network as it officially launches in April 2015.

A native of Great Britain, Spearman has been teaching golf for 30 years. He was first exposed to the game by his aunt, two-time British Ladies’ Amateur champion Marley Spearman, and proved to be a fast learner, breaking par for the first time at age 12. By the time he was 18, he had also qualified for the British PGA Championship.

Mitchell decided to make his mark in teaching, however, and in 1988 traveled to America to become David Leadbetter’s chief lieutenant and Worldwide Director of Instruction, a position he held for 10 years. During that period, he worked with several major champions and World Golf Hall of Famers, including Nick Faldo, Greg Norman, Tom Watson, and Nick Price. Other past and present students include Craig Parry, Laura Davies, Jan Stephenson and Billy Hurley III.

Golf Channel Academy will feature Spearman and his staff of instructors at the following locations: Doral Arrowwood Golf Club in Rye Brook, N.Y.; Belmont Country Club in Ashburn, Va.; Dominion Valley Country Club in Haymarket, Va.; and the Oak Creek Club in Upper Marlboro, Md.

Spearman and his coaches will benefit from a wide-spectrum of business consulting services and products addressing marketing, sales, technology and back-office solutions needs, as well as shared best practices across the network. Coaches also will have the opportunity to appear on instructional programming across Golf Channel’s television and digital platforms. Students at Golf Channel Academy locations will be able to track their progress using advanced software to measure specific goals under the direction of their personal coach.

“Golf Channel Academy will align the top coaches from across the country to run their business within a robust, collaborative operation,” said Todd Wilson, CEO of Golf Channel Academy. “Our members will have a unique opportunity to tap into best practices and proprietary data that will assist each member instructor and academy operation to grow their business while operating under one unified brand.”

A featured host and instructor on the international television show Golfing World, Spearman has written articles for such golf publications as GOLF and The Met Golfer, and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal. He is the author of “AIM of Golf,” which uses visual imagery to help optimize performance, and was one of the first golf instructors to produce a mobile app (Golf Shot Fixes) to assist golfers who need instant help on the course.

Among many other books, Dave Donelson is the author of Weird Golf: 18 tales of fantastic, horrific, scientifically impossible, and morally reprehensible golf