Core Golf Junior Academy Profile: Neale Smith

ORLANDO, Florida (June 2, 2009)-Despite having a degree in sports psychology, Neale Smith says he learned the value of a strong mental approach to golf during his 10 years as a touring professional.

As Director of Mental Performance at the Core Golf Junior Academy in Orlando, Florida, Smith works with students to educate and mentor them in mental skills required for peak performance on and off the golf course.  

Smith joins Core Golf's Director of Instruction Sean Foley and Director of Fitness and Nutrition Dr. Craig Davies to form one of the most prominent instruction teams in golf. All three Core Golf coaches work with PGA Tour players.  

 "I had plenty of schooling in this field, but I didn't get a PhD in school," says Smith, mental performance coach to PGA Tour players Hunter Mahan, John Rollins, Mark O'Meara and Nick Flanagan.  

"I got my PhD in 10 years as a touring professional," says Smith, who spent the 1993 season on the PGA Tour and has played around the world, recording a triumph at the Canadian Tour's MTS Classic in 1999. He has a masters degree in Applied Sport Psychology from California State University, and an undergraduate degree in education.  

Through his education and experience, Smith devised a unique and effective teaching model which he calls his Performance Pie. It focuses on eight key elements: mental, physical, technical, nutrition, rest and active recovery, support, equipment and quality practice.  

The pie helps both junior and adult players to develop a well-rounded game and ultimately benefit from the final two slices of his 10-piece programs: health and happiness.  

Designed while he was in grad school some two decades ago, Smith uses the Performance Pie as an integral part of his teaching.  
"I'm a performance coach and not just a sports psychologist," says Smith. "I focus on the elements in which a player is performing well and maintaining that while working on those areas that need improvement."

 "Neale's Performance Pie is brilliant in its structure, effectiveness and execution," says Jeff Hay, Director of Operations and Admissions at Core Golf Junior Academy.
 "It intelligently explores all the areas in which a golfer must be proficient in order to become a world-class player. Neale cares greatly about the success of his players, and his playing experience on the PGA Tour separates him from his peers," says Hay, a Canadian PGA professional.

Whether he is working with a PGA Tour winner or one of his young protégés at the Core Golf Junior Academy, Smith says he takes the same approach when discussing the psychological facets of the game: don't get too excited about the highs or too down about the lows. It's all about balance.  Smith works with his students at the academy in Orlando, but he also assists them by phone and email when he is travelling.  

"If you're in this field you want to see improvement and when you see it, it's satisfying no matter what level it is," Smith adds.  "Often it is easier to deal with the kids rather than try to change an older touring pro's bad habits. But you get the same satisfaction when any player realizes his or her potential."

 Like any successful team, Smith says each member of the Core Golf Junior Academy instruction team feeds off the another, upholding their reputation as being among the best in the business.

 "I really like what they're doing here, and I'm extremely proud to be part of it," says Smith. "We all have the same common goal and each of us is competent and confident in our abilities."

For more information, please visit www.coregolfacademy.com.  

For high-resolution pictures of Neale Smith, please email toconnor@coregolfacademy.com  

The Core Golf Junior Academy offers education and comprehensive golf development in every facet of the game to high-school-age and post-graduate players dedicated to becoming elite players and responsible world citizens.

  Students of the Core Golf Junior Academy attend Windermere Preparatory School, play on Florida's top junior tours where they are exposed to the best college golf coaches, and are guided through the scholarship process.

The junior academy is part of the Core Golf Academy which provides high-quality instruction to all levels of players at three Greater Toronto Area facilities: Core Golf Downtown Academy in Toronto, The Academy at Piper's Heath Golf Club in Oakville and the Core Golf Academy at Physiomed-Premier Fitness Oakville.

Nike Golf Canada is the official sponsor of the Core Golf Academy and supplies apparel, equipment, balls and footwear to Core Golf Academy instructors and to Core Golf Junior Academy students.
 
Tim O'Connor
Director of Communications Core Golf Academy