Michael Lamanna, PGA

“I am very excited about this extraordinary opportunity to help children become passionate about golf,” said PGA Professional Michael Lamanna, Director of Instruction at The Phoenician Golf Club.  “Our goal is twofold: to develop each child’s potential in a healthy and encouraging environment, and to foster higher self-esteem in kids.”

Lamanna, who is certified by the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) as a junior golf coach, developed the “Fairways Fore Kids” curriculum using TPI’s Long Term Athletic Development Model for coaching.  The model deviates from traditional methods of teaching golf to youngsters by focusing on how the body interacts with the brain at different stages of life.  Typically, children spend frustrating hours at the driving range, following drills and training techniques designed for adults.  They often become disillusioned and are driven away from the game.

Working with Lamanna and The Phoenician PGA staff, children will participate in weekly 90-minute sessions – including warm-up and cool-down sessions, team-building activities, and up to 12 “FUNdamental Cyclone Zone” or “S.M.A.S.H. Zone” stations.  The FUNdamental Cyclone is for children in kindergarten through fifth grade and focuses on the body’s fundamental movement skills.  The S.M.A.S.H. Zone – Stability, Mobility, ABCs (Agility, Balance, and Coordination), Speed and Honing specific sports skills – is designed for youngsters in sixth through eighth grades and is more rigorous.

The Cyclone and S.M.A.S.H. Zones, which are the program’s core, feature kicking, hitting, throwing, putting, wrist release, chipping and catching stations.  In addition, there is a strength-building station and class segments where children can begin to learn golf fundamentals in an age-appropriate way.