I was born and raised in Atlanta GA. Have wonderful parents and a great brother. Played all the sports, hunted and fished in the wilds of Alabama. Lettered in all the high school sports as centerfieldier, quarterback and MVP guard in basketball. Graduated with a B.S. in Criminal Justice at Georgia State University. Worked with the airlines at night and played golf in the day. I've been a Real Estate agent and appraised homes; you name it. After winning a Pro-Am event in Park City UT in 1990 decided enough is enough and just had to get outside and teach golf. Second best thing I ever did. The great teacher Jimmy Ballard believed in me and told me early on to just relax and teach and find out if you help people because it will be too frustrating if you don't. 18 years later I'm still going strong. Another great teacher John Toepel Jr taught me that my job is to make golf FUN and SIMPLE and showed me how. That has become my mission. I try to always remember that I am truely fortunate because I get to play at work and look forward to it every day.

You ask what's the best thing I ever did? Marry my wife Chieko in Tokyo in 2002. She is simply the best friend and best person I've ever known. She is a world class pastry chef at a local Country Club and runs a very successful food and pastry blogsite. ( see Books and Links page)We live in Los Gatos and love to travel to Japan and Thailand and most anywhere else.