By Sarah Whitman
Senior Staff Writer
LAND O’ LAKES — For the teaching team at Plantation Palms Golf Club, golf is life.
The group is led by the club general manager and Professional Golfers Association professional Dan Withers and includes teachers Jacob Halligan, Brent Fockle, Chris Cherok and Bill Thomas. The team is considered the best of the best by many.
Between them, they have spent thousands of hours on the green, competing on both the college and professional level.
“They have a wealth of knowledge beyond most amateur golfer’s imaginations,” student Kyle Williams said. “Jacob Halligan is the best golfer I’ve ever seen play on this course. He is a great teacher.”
Halligan, who heads up the teaching department, began golfing at age 2. He played consistently while growing up in Kentucky and received a golf scholarship to St. Leo University in 2003. After graduating, he began playing professionally. He then came to work at Plantation, training as an apprentice under Withers.
As an apprentice, he is learning the business side of golf, but he still aspires to conquer the sport itself. In fall 2009, he played in the PGA Qualifying School, a four-month tournament whose winners play on the PGA tour. He made it through the first round in Beaumont, Calif. and plans to play again in 2010.
“Golf is the hardest game there is because it’s just you against the course,” Halligan said. “If you mess up, you only have yourself to blame.”
Halligan teaches his students to pay attention and think before they make a move on the course. He said he likes teaching for many reasons. He likes teaching kids because they are excited to learn, and he likes teaching adults because he can help take their game to the next level.
“I like to see someone improve,” Halligan said. “It’s pretty rewarding.”
Halligan said students can expect top-quality instruction at Plantation, whether they take lessons with him or with one his co-workers.
“All the teachers here have a lot to offer,” he said. “Brent Fockle played for the University of New Mexico and really knows the game. Chris Cherok has taught for years and was general manager of Edwin Watts Golf Shop.”
Cherok also has a passion for teaching.
“I’ve been teaching for seven years,” he said. “I just love the game.”
Cherok teaches students what he considers the key elements to a good golf game.
“The main three points a golfer needs to focus on are grip, posture and alignment,” he said. “Without those, you won’t be where you need to be.”
Halligan said a good golfer never stops practicing.
“If you play and then you stop playing for a while, you’ll totally lose your game,” he said. “If you treat it like a hobby, you’ll only ever be mediocre.”
Mark Clare has learned a bit about golf from Halligan.
“Yeah, he’s taught me some things about golf,” Clare said while enjoying lunch at Plantation’s club café. “He really is one of the best golfers to ever play here. I see him working with the younger kids and they really look up to him. I’ve also seen him helping out a pro or two.”
Withers is proud of his teaching staff and their reputation in the community.
“We really do have one of the finest instruction teams in Tampa Bay,” he said.
Golf lessons are open to ages 4 and up. Halligan has taught little ones and recently, he taught basics to an 88-year-old man. Golf can be played at any age, he said.
“I never really had any lessons growing up,” he said. “I watched a lot of golf on TV and I practiced a lot. I kind of found my own way. I think that’s what makes me a good teacher. I don’t do drills and make it about rules. I make it about helping a person find their game.”
