PGA of South Africa Professional, Jamie Gough, received the 2017 John Jacobs Award for Teaching & Coaching at the PGAs of Europe’s Annual Congress Gala Awards supported by Rolex.
Gough was nominated by his PGA in recognition of his outstanding work across 34 years as a PGA Member and coach, particularly with top-level players on the European Tour; 17 of which are tournament winners.
“It’s a great honour to receive an award like this in the name of John Jacobs,” said Gough after receiving his award at the 2017 Annual Congress Gala Awards Dinner at Costa Navarino in Greece.
“Any time you receive an award from your peers and an award for your teaching is brilliant. PGAs are great institutions – you can go anywhere in the world with your PGA credentials and everybody receives you with open arms, and I’m proud to be involved with it.”
The John Jacobs Award is the PGAs of Europe’s highest coaching accolade and is presented to a PGA Professional who has excelled as a golf coach at all levels of the game, be it with elite or beginner players alike across a number of years.
Previous winners of the award have included Shane Lowry’s coach, Neil Manchip, along with Michael Bannon, coach of Rory McIlroy and Salvador Luna, coach of Sergio Garcia, and coach to seven of the 2016 Ryder Cup Europe Team, Mike Walker.
Gough is known in South Africa for having owned and operated the country’s largest and most successful chain of golf schools. On an international level, he has coached some of the world’s best players, both amateurs and professionals – notably the 2006 South African Eisenhower Team on home turf in Cape Town.
Since then he has worked as a full-time instructor on the European Tour, nurturing and developing players with an average of 30 events across the season including all four Major Championships, World Golf Championships, and the Ryder Cup.
His current squad of players include fellow countrymen, Brandon Stone and Richard Sterne, England’s Andy Sullivan who he worked with closely at the 2016 Ryder Cup Matches at Hazeltine National Golf Club, and China’s Number 1 player, Hao Tong Li, who finished third in the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
His work with these top-level players has earned him numerous accolades, including Golf Digest’s No. 1 teacher in South Africa, along with a career client list that has included the likes of Miguel Angel Jimenez, 2018 Ryder Cup Team Europe Captain, Thomas Bjorn, Alex Noren, Jose Maria Olazabal, Anders Hanson, David Howell, Charl Schwartzel, Brett Rumford, Haydn Porteous, George Coetzee and many more.
Gough understands the extreme requirements of tournament golf and as such has developed a method that involves understanding the basics and controlling ball flight to create a swing that repeats under high pressure and can stand the test of the highest level of competition.
“I am very much a structure teacher who believes that the basics of golf are as relevant to a top professional as they are to a beginner,” adds Gough. “Instructors must never lose sight of the fact that a good grip, setup and posture are imperative for all levels of golfer.
“John Jacobs was the first to be very observant of ball flight, and for modern day teachers, myself included, this is still so important. I am proud to be mentioned in the same breath as someone like him.”
For more information on the 2017 Annual Award Winners visit Annual Congress Hub Page http://eur.pe/2017AnnualCongress
The Annual Congress Gala Awards are partnered by Rolex, Costa Navarino, the Ryder Cup European Development Trust, BMW and Aegean Airlines, and are supported by The Botanist, The Blue Beetle, Bulldog, G’Vine gins, Marendry apperitivo, and Fever-Tree Premium Natural Mixers.