At Brian Jacobs Golf, we’re committed to putting the best instructors in front of our students. The relationships we develop are the most important part of what we do. To that end, we’ve brought together instructors that are highly respected within the industry, have an intense passion about the game of golf, and the drive to help our students succeed both on and off the course.

BRIAN JACOBS

LEAD INSTRUCTOR

Over the last 20 years, Brian Jacobs has worked to empower golfers of all ages to find greater enjoyment from the game he loves so much. His dedication and passion for the game are infectious and have earned him Class A PGA credentials and recognition from the PGA Foundation for helping grow the game of golf. Brian possesses an MS Ed in addition to PGA Class A credentials and is a Lead Instructor for Golf Channel Academy. He is a frequent Coach of the Week for Golf Channel and got his training leading golf schools for ESPN Golf Schools. He has also been featured on CBS Sports for his work with veterans as part of the PGA HOPE program of Western New York. 

Drawing from his unique experience as an accomplished player, caddie, PGA Professional, and golf instructor, Brian brings an invaluable “inside the ropes” perspective to his teaching. Whether you’re looking for swing instruction, short game help, course management skills, learning how to manage yourself within a round of golf or preparing your youth golfer to play the game at a high level, Brian has the expertise to help you succeed.

Brian is Golf Range Association of America Top 100 Teaching Professional, a two time recipient of the Western New York PGA Section Teacher of the Year Award, the Player Development Award, Bill Strausbaugh Award and Horton Smith Award in addition has been awarded Golf Digest Best Teachers in State Award for New York State.

Africa Alarcon

Golfefit

Africa attended the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil), graduating with a degree in Physical Education and founded her company Golfefit designed to help athletes in particular, golfers with function and fitness through extensive assessment and biomechanics training.  

 Africa has been working in golf fitness and golf biomechanics assessment and has . Published 50+ articles in Brazilian magazines.

At the height of her career, she was the Physical Trainer for the Brazilian Golf Federation and later the Director of Recruitment in Latin America for Bishops Gate Golf Academy in Orlando, Florida and IJGA Hilton Head.

Africa is well known and respected in the golf fitness and golf biomechanics industry and possesses multiple advanced certifications including TPI, and Boditrak Biomechanics. She is a published author of over 50 articles pertaining to golf, fitness and achieving power and has recently published an eBook on how to prevent lower back pain in golfer. She has lectured around the globe including R and A Latham, Faldo Series and continues to consult with the Peru Golf Association.

www.golfefit.com

email: africa@golfefit.com

 

DR. STEPHEN P. GONZALEZ, CMPC

MENTAL CONDITIONING

Dr. Stephen P. Gonzalez is an expert in mental training with over a decade of experience and is a consultant to Brian Jacobs Golf since 2017. Dr. Gonzalez is currently the Assistant Athletics Director for Leadership and Mental Performance at Dartmouth College in their Peak Performance Program where he oversees broad implementation of mental skills training and leadership development to 30 NCAA Division I Ivy League teams. Prior to his hiring at Dartmouth, Dr. Gonzalez was an Assistant Professor of Sport Psychology at the College at Brockport, and a consultant to organizations and teams in the Rochester, NY area. For the last decade, Dr. Gonzalez has worked with the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, professional athletes, Olympic Trials athletes, collegiate athletes, high school athletes, performing artists, and weekend warriors with the ultimate goal of high performances and personal development. Dr. Gonzalez has extensive experience working with golfers to develop a mindset for high performance and is available to all Brian Jacobs students of any age and level remotely via video consultations and occasionally in-person. From working through confidence issues to developing better practice and competition strategies, Dr. Gonzalez takes a personalized approach to all students to meet their needs and design specific programming to help them enjoy the game and perform at a high level.

Dr. Gonzalez completed his Ph.D. in the Psycho-Social Aspects of Sport at the University of Utah, his M.S. in Sport Psychology from Georgia Southern University, and his B.S. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh where he was also an NCAA Division I runner. Dr. Gonzalez is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and is listed on the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s (USOPC) Sport Psychology and Mental Training Registry. View Dr. Gonzalez’s Website.

Email: stephengonzalez@gmail.com

Twitter: @StevePGonzalez

Instagram: @StevePGonzalez

Nick Hardwick

Hardwick.Life

Nick Hardwick is a former Pro Bowl Center for the San Diego Chargers. In 2014, after 11 seasons and over 146 starts in the NFL, Nick decided to move on from the game that he loved, due to a failing neck and future health concerns. Upon retirement, Hardwick immediately shed 85 pounds from his former 300 pound Offensive Lineman body, in an attempt to minimize any further damage to his joints, which took a pounding amidst the nearly 30,000 hits sustained between his NFL and collegiate career at Purdue. And as everyone who has followed the news for the past decade has seen, brain health for former football players is of paramount importance.

Citing that fact that “exercise is the only scientifically proven way to stave off neurocognitive decline”, Nick has made it a point to keep the excess body weight off, saving his joints, which will then allow him to routinely exercise, pumping fresh blood and oxygen to his brain.

Nick is passionate about showing others how simple, yet effective, daily habits can lead to long-term positive health outcomes. In 2018, Nick started a pharmaceutical-grade supplement line Hardwick.Life to provide his family and followers a way to take charge of their health. The products in the lineup are products that Nick and his family use every day to feel and perform their best.

Recently, Nick has launched his Lose Like a Lineman program to help those who may need to lose weight. This is the exact fitness and nutrition program Nick used to lose 85 lbs in under 5 months upon his retirement.

All Brian Jacobs Golf members will receive 30% off of all products by using the CODE BJG30.

Derek Hagen 

Doctor of Physical Therapy and Titleist Performance Institute certified professional

Derek Hagen is a Doctor of Physical Therapyand Titleist Performance Institute certified professional. He is passionate about orthopedics, biomechanics, and helping people feel better, move better, and perform better. He has been practicing for over 13 years and has developed a business and practice model that optimizes his time with his patients in order to get the quality results in an efficient manner. He loves being able to restore, optimize, and enhance the musculoskeletal system in order to produce an efficient, consistent, and powerful golf swing!

Kumiko Rodewald

Mental Golf Coach/NLP Practitioner/Golf Therapist

Kumiko Rodewald is a mental golf coach, NLP practitioner, golf therapist, and author of the upcoming book, Does Golf Devil Whisper in Your Ear? Using Your Mind to Play Better and Be Happier in Life.
She has brought a positive influence on many golfers as a coach and a passionate, competitive golfer.

She has worked with golfers at all levels to improve their game and become happier in life using their mind. She coaches golfers holistically.

Many of her clients say they have improved their golf game and become more
grounded since they worked with her. She created her unique coaching method
through years of her journey as a passionate, competitive golfer. She provides her
clients the opportunities to improve their golf game and become happier in all areas of life as they work with her. She loves to share happy vibes with everybody around her!

Email: kumiko@happygolferhappylife.com

Website: happygolferhappylife.com