Groov Golf Life
I consider myself a Human Movement and Performance Specialist, blessed with opportunities and challenges which have guided me to embrace a multimodality approach to LIFE and Golf Training. My lifelong passion for Mind-body Wellness, “Moovment” and guidance from the Universe has led me to what I consider my greatest gift -- being able to help others find their GROOV in GOLF and LIFE. I believe it is a gift and a responsibility to do our best to take care and honor “the skin we are in” and the many systems which work synergistically, to optimize our performance in every aspect of our lives...mentally, physically and spiritually.
Growing up I never stopped moving. Living in a neighborhood where we were always able to be outside year round...from sun up until dark, even later on weekends and summer break...Kick-the-can, Wiffle Ball, ice skating at our neighborhood pond, Street Hockey(we lived on a hill,...and did not really care if the playing field was level...a good life lesson.)
My mother nurtured my love for being outside and sports. She was a single parent, and elementary school teacher, we did not have a lot of money but together we “played” all kinds of sports -- Ice and roller skating, skateboarding, water and snow skiing, gymnastics, tennis, and GOLF.
I was also blessed to have been raised with a brother who loved the outdoors and a father who ignited our passion for hunting, fishing and the GREAT OUTDOORS!
My brother started playing hockey and baseball at the age of 6, and at 9 he would add soccer to his list. For me, competitive sports started with soccer at the age of 7 and included cheerleading (until I realized it was way more fun to play the sport than cheer for the players), track, cross country, volleyball, and basketball. Specialization was not encouraged until after my sophomore year of High School and my love was Volleyball. I played year-round--High School Varsity and with a USVBA/AAU program called The Circus.
Initially pursuing my degree in International Business and Accounting, on an academic and Volleyball scholarship at the University of Evansville, I was sidetracked by the world of competitive cycling. After transferring to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, and joining the Phoenix Cycling Team. While spending my summers at USCF events racing bikes, waitressing, and working at the Chicago Health Club. I realized my passion was in the field of Movement...or Fitness. I made the decision to change my path and my major to Exercise Science and became an American Council on Exercise Certified Personal Trainer in 1990.
I moved to the Kansas City area in 1990 and after working as a corporate fitness trainer and director, I started my own personal training company. To supplement my income as my training business grew, I worked part-time at Paradise Pointe Golf Complex driving the beverage cart. I was given playing privileges and fell in love with being on the golf course. I made the decision to combine my passion for golf with my love of helping others to “move better” After doing a little research in 1996, I had the good fortune to meet Allison Thietje, founder of Total Approach Golf. Her business was just starting to take off and I joined her, sharing my time between running the local business in Johnson County, Kansas, and training on the PGA Tour. During this time, we worked with several professional golfers including Tom Watson, Brad Faxon, Phil Mickelson, and Justin Leonard. In 1999 Alison moved to Texas and Elite Golf and Fitness picked up where we had left off.
With over 25 years of experience in the Golf Performance industry and over 35 in the Fitness Industry, I have had the opportunity to work with a multitude of clients, young and old, amateur as well as professional, all with a variety of abilities. I am one of 100 instructors in the world to have obtained the Advantage Golf, Master Golf Fitness Instructor Certification (MGFI) from Dr. Greg Rose. Between 1998 and 2005 I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Rose and Dave Phillips, co-founders of the Titleist Performance Institute at several corporate events around the country and among the first group of Instructors in the world - Fitness, Medical, and Golf -- to become Titleist Performance Institute(TPI) certified and since have achieved TPI Level 2 certifications in Golf Instruction and Golf Biomechanics as well as Level 3 Certifications in Golf Fitness and as a Junior Coach. The Elite Golf and Fitness Tournament Player Development program successfully assisted many of our Junior Golf Athletes in earning NCAA athletic scholarships, several NCAA Golf Programs with their golf performance programs, and professional golfers on the PGA, KornFerry, Symetra, Mackenzie, LatinAmerica, PGA Tour China, and Adams Golf Tours.
In 2008, Elite Golf and Fitness added AMM - TPI 3D Motion Capture to our tools in order to better measure and assess athletes, coach, and train. I have found biofeedback an essential tool and shortcut in teaching body/kinesthetic awareness. I have since added the KMotion KPlayer and KCoach. “We can measure an athlete's full kinematic sequence to receive positional data, asses that data and create truly customized programs for the client, coach those programs, and then train them to perfection. K-VEST is a complete "learning loop" designed for golf coaches, movement and fitness professionals, and medical professionals, empowering them to build athletic skills, abilities, and health.”
Serving as a member of the Kansas City Golf Foundation, the Kansas City Women’s Golf Association, and The Kansas City Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, additionally helping to launch Teal Paws, introduced me to the selfless, generous giving, for which giving Kansas City is known. Elite Golf and Fitness was also the “Fitness Provider” for the Kansas City Golf Association, providing on-course Pre and Post Round Training and Mobility Station Support for the KCGA at their Women’s, Men’s, and Junior and Stateline Tours Events, including the Watson Challenge, as well as for many local Kansas City Golf Clubs and Charity events for over 10 years.
I have experience consulting on the design and equipping of several private fitness facilities in country clubs, condominiums, and private residences in the Kansas City area.
In 2018, I was humbled and honored to have been named to Golf Digest’s Inaugural Top 50 Golf Fitness Instructors and achieve this recognition aside from so many talented, innovative leaders and mentors in an amazing, growing industry that barely existed when I first got started.
My own experiences and passion for Mind Body Health and Healing ignited my interest in yoga, acupuncture and Chinese medicine over 20 years ago which led to my ongoing pursuit of knowledge in alternative approaches to health and wellness. I have completed certifications and been blessed with the opportunity to have learned from practicing with Max Strom, Core Energy Yoga - a Core Power Yoga/Baron Baptiste affiliate, Emily Darling, Gina Caputo, Patricia Gray, and most recently am pursuing completion of Brett Larkin’s RYT200 Uplifted Teacher Training Program.
I am dedicated to continuing to educate myself and share my passion for a holistic approach to both golf and life providing services to include functional movement screening and restoration, strength and power training, mind-body methodologies, whole food nutrition education, innovative 3D swing analysis and biofeedback training as well as the latest in recovery techniques.