PROFESSIONAL COACHING FOR ALL ABILITIES
We are proud members of the PGA of Canada. We recognize the important role we play in the development of our athletes and will always strive to embrace these core values;
Learning, Accountability, Respect, Integrity.
2020 PGA of Ontario Coach of the Year - SEAN CASEY
Sean Casey has been a member of the PGA of Canada for 27 years and has provided over 30,000 golf lessons. He taught at The Glen Abbey Golf Academy 2001-2020 and was the Director of Instruction from 2007-2020. His current and former students have won at every level including Provincial & National Championships.
Sean was recently honoured as The 2020 Coach of the Year by the PGA of Ontario.
- BBA University of New Brunswick 2000
- Joined PGA of Canada in 1996, Class A Member since 2001
- PGA of Ontario Team Championship Winner 2003 with partner Sean Foley
- PGA of Ontario Teacher of the Year 2009
- PGA of Canada Teacher of the Year 2009
- Golf Digest Top Four Teachers in Canada 2011
- PGA of Ontario Teacher of the Year for Junior Golfers 2016
- PGA of Ontario Coach of the Year 2020
In 2016, Sean was honoured as the Teacher of the Year for Junior Golfers by the PGA of Ontario. In 2011, Golf Digest named Sean as one of the top four prominent teachers in Canada and in 2009 he was honored as the “Teacher of the Year” by both the PGA of Ontario and Canada.
Sean was fortunate to work closely with Sean Foley at Glen Abbey for his first six years at Glen Abbey and credits Foley for having the greatest influence on his approach to coaching. Sean is most passionate about developing and supporting his competitive junior golfers and graduates of his U19 program currently playing NCAA Collegiate Golf. Sean has been the featured instructor in SCOREGolf Magazine eight times and has provided coaching support to the CJGA National Teams since 2007.
Sean joined the PGA of Canada in 1996 as an apprentice, graduated from the University of New Brunswick's Business Administration Program in 2000 and became a Class 'A' member of the PGA in 2001.
SAM ROY
Sam co-runs Sean Casey's U15, Learn to Compete, and Linksters programs. He believes in a holistic approach to the game and understands the many influences on performance. Sam worked closely with Sean for many years, as a member of his U19 Competitive Coaching Program.
Following his junior career he played for the University of Ottawa Men’s Golf team. Through Sam’s playing experience he understands the mental and physical challenges of the game and the processes necessary to improve.
Prior to turning professional and joining the PGA of Canada, Sam won his Club Championship in back to back years. In the summer months, Sam runs the junior programs and his private coaching services out of Hidden Lake Golf Club in Burlington.
John Burghardt
John co-runs our U15, Learn to Compete, and Linksters programs. Having been a member of both the U15 and U19 programs at Glen Abbey, he recognizes the importance of instruction and structured practice. He attributes much of his own success in golf to the years in these programs and the skills he developed from them.
As a former NCAA division 1 golfer he had the opportunity to play with and learn from some of the best players in the world. He draws on his playing experience in order to help others improve and excel.
Jeff Smeaton
Physical Conditioning Coach
Dr. Jeff Smeaton is a graduate of Wilfred Laurier University and Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto. After graduating, he gained additional certifications in Graston Technique, Active Release Technique, Medical Acupuncture and is certified in other functional assessment techniques. He is a Golf Medical Professional (Titleist Performance Institute) and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).
He has experience working with professional golfers, NCAA players and competitive juniors. He also has a wealth of experience helping recreational golfers become injury free and feel better while they play. Jeff will help you become and stay injury free by creating an individualized treatment or training plan tailored to your specific needs that will progress with you as your needs evolve. Through treatment, exercise, and education, he will take you from becoming pain free and progress you to performing better.
Jeff has been involved in many sports throughout his life. He played football at Laurier for 5 years and finished his CIS career with the 2005 Vanier Cup Championship. He now enjoys keeping active golfing and spending time with his wife and two daughters.
Braeden Cryderman
Teaching Professional
Braeden is a former graduate of our program and Sean was his coach for over 10 years.
Braeden’s start in golf came at a young age on the courses around his hometown of Huntsville, Ontario. After graduating high school, he attended UNC Charlotte, a division 1 golf program. At the time of graduating with a degree in Psychology, he was honoured by the NCAA with First Team All-Conference player and was ranked as a Top 10 amateur in Canada. He played 3 years of professional golf which included to mini tour wins and PGA Tour Canada status in 2014.
After his professional carrier he took a job coaching at his alma mater UNCC where he was in charge of player development. The team had there best semester in 10 years where the won regionals and finished 23rd at NCAA Division 1 Championships. From there Braeden moved back to Muskoka to begin his teaching career. He invested a lot of time with his mentor Mark Bull (PHD in Sports Science) world renowned golf biomechanist and started using his 3D technology.
Dr. Charles Fitzsimmons
Mental Coach
Charles earned his PhD in Sport Psychology from Western University in London, Ontario. He has coached professional and amateur athletes of all ages to numerous championships in a range of sports. Whether it is with teams or individuals, Charles uses his athletic experiences and his empathetic communication style to teach mental skills which have been proven to enhance coping, satisfaction, and performance. His specialty is helping golfers thrive under tournament pressure.
Charles’ competitive golfing highlights include wins at the 2019 Canadian University Championship, the 2019 Ontario Mid-Amateur, and the 2019 Boyd Quaich Memorial Tournament at the Old Course in St. Andrews. His record-setting 13 year career golfing at Western University also included 5 team and 2 individual Ontario Championships, 9 All-Star and 6 MVP awards, and 13 straight National Championship appearances. Before coming to Western University, Charles spent two years training at the International Junior Golf Academy in South Carolina and one year on an NCAA scholarship to Clarion University in Pennsylvania.
