Respected international coach and PGA Member Matthew Tipper has been honoured with the Confederation of Professional Golf’s John Jacobs Teaching and Coaching Award for 2023.
Matthew, 44, was presented with the coveted award in recognition of his outstanding achievements as a performance coach in Poland and for his work as a tour coach around the world, including as coach to three-time DP World Tour winner Adrian Meronk, who he has worked with since he was a junior and is currently at a career high 46th in the world rankings.
Following a successful 10-year playing career, Matthew attended David Leadbetter’s Academy in the UK to develop his coaching ambition, and then spent time working in Malaysia, Dubai and Portugal before coaching for David Leadbetter’s Academy in China. He moved to Poland in 2010, where he set up a coaching academy at Toya Golf & Country Club. It was there where he worked with top juniors in the country, including Meronk.
Tipper’s Professional and amateur players boast over 50 national and international titles, but his impact has been felt by many who he has worked with, not least those in Poland where he has significantly impacted their lives, playing careers and golf in the country in general.
Working with short game instructor James Sieckmann in Europe and Asia, Tipper is also actively involved in the education of coaches in almost 10 countries through the delivery of training and workshops and continues to work with. He also works as a short game coach at Golf At Goodwood in West Sussex.
Speaking about the John Jacobs Teaching and Coaching Award, whose recent past recipients include Mike Walker, Paul Kenyon, Lee Scarbrow, Matthew said: “It’s a great honour for me to receive an award that is linked to John Jacobs’s name. In my eyes he is the ‘godfather of golf instruction’ and very much the reason why coaching has become my career.
“I’m extremely grateful to the CPG for this incredible honour and I would like to offer a huge thank you to the PGA of Poland for putting me forward to be considered. I would also like to thank my mentor, James Sieckmann, for all that he has done and continues to do for me, and the PGA for all the support that it has given me over the years, and ultimately for giving me my passport to the world.”
He added: “I also can’t forget to thank all the students who have put their trust in me and allowed me to join their teams. And finally, to Adrian Meronk – thank you for letting me sit in the best seat in the house for the last 14 years!”
Tipper was presented the award during a gala dinner at the CPG’s Annual Gala Awards, which was held at Fontana Golf Club in Austria on November 17.
